Losing Control
by IntrinsicallyPleasing
Summary: Some people may find that it's impossible to find the thing that they need most. What is possible, however, is to become the very thing they cannot find. The catch? They only have to lose everything they have. Rated T for language and mature themes, namely self-harm, abuse, depression and suicide.
1. Chapter 1

Emerald eyes stared at the ceiling. The birds were preparing for the dawn chorus outside the nearby window; the sun was rising. This meant that any effort to return to the sweet embrace of slumber would be futile, for Monika's alarm would go off in a few moments.

She pondered her early awakening. She had gone to bed far later than usual the night before. As a result, she amassed a whopping four hours of sleep. The club president was normally able to survive a single night with little rest, but unfortunately for her, this was the third night in a row that this had happened. There was something wrong – something she could not explain. Had she been able to pinpoint the problem, it would have been dealt with swiftly so she could continue moving forward. But alas, she lay in her bed like a statue, wondering why her body betrayed her like this.

The blaring alarm served only to exacerbate her headache. A stiff arm reached out to silence the infernal appliance, collapsing on the bed immediately afterwards. Aside from the gentle rays of the early sunlight slowly streaming in through the shutters, the only positive thing about this particular morning was that it was a Friday. Monika turned her head towards the sole window in her room. She shut her eyes, finding solace in the familiar tune sung by the birds.

A minute or two passed before she could muster enough willpower to get up and tackle the day. The simple act of sitting up proved challenging for the girl, for dizziness nearly overwhelmed her. She blinked slowly and hoped to recover sooner rather than later.

' _Who would've thought that getting up would prove to be such a mission?'_

Perhaps if she hadn't had such a busy week, her exhaustion would've been far more manageable. She quickly realised that it was no use discussing ideal situations; she would just have to deal with her inauspicious circumstances as they came.

"Just get through this day," she told herself, pausing as she stood, "and everything will sort itself out,"

Monika found it rather taxing to lift her feet while walking, an action that caused her to stumble on the miniscule step separating her room's floor from the hallway. She could barely huff in irritation. At least she could make use of the mini adrenaline rush to her advantage as she prepared for the day.

* * *

 **Losing Control – A DDLC Fanfic**

 **Chapter 1: The Beginning of the End**

* * *

A pen assaulted paper in the corner of the classroom. A pair of feet momentarily shuffled on the tiled floor. Someone scratched their head in thought. A muffled sigh prompted Monika to cover her mouth in an effort to stifle yet another one of her many yawns. She adjusted her test papers and watched as the clock tentatively ticked away the last thirty seconds of the period. Frustration welled up in her gut, manifesting itself as an obtrusive frown on her otherwise gentle features.

' _Why can't it just be the end of the day already?'_

She was grateful for her seat in the sun, for her body was cold due to fatigue. Thoughts of cancelling the afternoon club meeting were left unfinished as the bell finally rang.

"As usual, just leave your tests on your desks as you walk out," said the teacher, "I hope none of you forgot to write your names."

Students eagerly packed their bags, with only a few bothering to acknowledge his presence with an overenthusiastic "Enjoy your weekend, sir!" before running off to have lunch.

Monika was one of the last to leave, lifting her hand to the teacher in greeting before exiting the room. On the other side of the doorway, Yuri offered a welcoming smile.

"How was it?" she asked.  
"Nothing to worry about," replied Monika. "I hope you didn't have trouble with question 3, considering you weren't here for yesterday's lesson."  
"Not at all. The textbook summarised it quite nicely,"

Monika returned her smile.

"That's good to hear,"

The two of them continued walking to the cafeteria in relative silence. Monika briefly considered sitting somewhere away from her usual spot. She wasn't sure if she was willing to put up with Sayori's energy. Upon realising what she was doing, the brown-haired girl lightly shook her head.

"Something wrong?" asked Yuri.  
"Nothing. Just tired, that's all,"

The taller girl nodded in response. Soon, the two girls reached their destination. They found Natsuki sipping on her juice box, staring rather quizzically while Sayori was telling a story in her usual animated way. Said story was promptly forgotten as the bubbly girl spotted her friends.

"Hey look! It's our own physics girls!" she exclaimed.  
"In the flesh," replied Monika with a smile.  
"Sometimes I wonder where we found someone like you, Sayori," said Natsuki.

Sitting down, Monika couldn't help but notice the mutual excitement subtly hidden behind Yuri and Natsuki's smiles. The allaying fact that the two of them had finally overcome their differences was more than enough to brighten her dreary day, even if it was only by a slight amount.

"Looking at you two just makes me so happy!"  
"Sayori..." Yuri looked to the side in embarrassment.  
"Why's it such a big deal anyway?" asked Natsuki, whose face was starting to match her hair.  
"Well," replied, "you'd usually either be arguing or completely silent,"  
"Yeah," mumbled Monika, "so I'd call this an upgrade."

Placing her empty juice box on the table, Natsuki raised an eyebrow.

"Tired much?"

Monika lifted her head from her arms and laughed sheepishly.

"Sorry, I didn't even realise,"  
"It's okay," assured Sayori, "it's been a long week,"  
"I concur," said Yuri.

Monika rested on her arms once more while the rest opted to take out their lunch.

"Aside from sleeping," Natsuki looked at Monika, "what are you guys looking forward to this weekend?"

Yuri was the first to answer.

"Well, my parents should be coming home on Sunday."

Her eyes shifted to the sandwich between her hands.

"Although it's only been a week, I still miss them dearly,"  
"Hey, a week ish more fhan enough time to missh shumwun!"  
"Sayori, don't talk with your mouth full!" reprimanded Natsuki.  
"Shorry...Oh I did it again..."

The bubbly girl swallowed as Natsuki shook her head.

"For me," said Sayori, "I'd say I have a pretty good chance at getting us a new member this weekend."

That attracted everyone's attention. Monika sat up.

"Really?" she asked. Sayori nodded.  
"Who?"  
"That's a surprise!"  
"Aw come on, Sayori!" exclaimed Natsuki. "Just tell us!"  
"All I can tell you is that our new member might need something enticing to join the club."

Blue eyes met pink as she said that. Natsuki rolled her eyes.

"Is this your way of asking me to make cupcakes?"  
"Pleeeeaaase Natsukiii! I'll do anything!"  
"Let me guess. Your idea of _anything_ doesn't include telling me the name of our potential new member."

Sayori laughed sheepishly.

"Just as I thought!"  
"Either way, it's not someone you know, Natsuki,"  
"Somehow, I doubt that," said Yuri.  
"Me too," agreed Monika, "I think it might be a certain _someone_ you love talking abou-"

Sayori quickly shushed the club president.

"Uh, guys," said Natsuki, "I'm kinda still in the dark here..."  
"Well," said Monika, "Sayori and I are the only ones that really know this person in any case."  
"That is correct," said Yuri. "I have only ever caught the tail end of conversations involving this person."

Purple eyes met blue.

"It seems our vice president doesn't trust us with this information."

The girl in question merely let out an awkward chuckle. Natsuki huffed.

"Geez, talk about dramatic."  
"So, will you be able to bake the cupcakes, Natsuki?" inquired Sayori.

The pink-haired girl closed her eyes and exhaled in exasperation.

"Even if it's not only for our new member," said Yuri, "your cupcakes would do wonders to ease our usual Monday blues."  
"Yeah! My family already finished the share of cupcakes you gave to me," said Monika

A few more moments passed as everyone watched Natsuki with bated breath. She eventually opened her eyes and frowned.

"You guys better be glad I enjoy baking as much as I do or you'd be outta luck."

Monika and Yuri breathed out a collective sigh of relief while Sayori opted to hug the short girl next to her.

"Thank you thank you thank you!"  
"Don't squeeze so tight..."  
"Sorry..."

Natsuki huffed.

"Now that new issue of Parfait Girls has to wait because of you,"  
"But it'll be worth it," said Yuri.  
"I concur," said Sayori with a cheeky grin.

The pink-haired girl's mock anger dissipated as she tittered at Sayori's questionable impression of Yuri. The girl in question looked off to the side, playing with her hair in her characteristic style. Monika merely smiled at the group's antics. She spent the remaining 15 minutes of lunch catching up on sleep while the rest chatted until the bell rang.

Well, the short-haired girls did most of the talking while Yuri mainly listened, but that was nothing out of the ordinary.

* * *

The day dragged on until, eventually, the final school bell rang. Thanks to her power nap earlier, Monika managed to get through her remaining classes without too much trouble. She hoped that no one would find any issues with her lack of plans for the Literature Club. Luckily, Fridays were relaxed in any case; everyone was usually too tired for anything too intense in any case.

But then again, how intense could a _literature club_ really be?

Monika quickly disposed of those thoughts on her brief walk to the club room. As expected of the leader of the group, she was the first to arrive. She didn't have to wait long for the vice president to join her.

"Hey Monika! Any plans for the club today?"

Her facial expression shifted only slightly, but Sayori immediately noticed that the question irked the other girl.

"It's not a problem if you don't. We can always just do what we usually do – read, or something."  
"I was actually kind of hoping to cut today's meeting a bit short,"  
"I see...well, we wouldn't want you falling asleep on us!"

Sayori gazed at the ceiling in thought.

"Say, this week has been pretty uneventful, hasn't it?" she asked.  
"Yeah, it has," replied Monika, "hopefully next week will be better."  
"I feel like we should do something special sometime,"  
"Something special?"

Natsuki's voice shifted their attention to the door. She was accompanied by Yuri, who appeared to be equally curious.

"Yeah, something special. Maybe not as a club per se, but as a group of friends."

Everyone paused for thought for a moment before Yuri broke the silence.

"Hmm...well, summer break is coming in a month, so why not then?"  
"Yeah!" exclaimed Natsuki, "I'm thinking something along the lines of a weekend getaway,"  
"Where would we get the money for that, though?" asked Monika.  
"Who says we need money?"

Everyone gave Sayori a dubious look.

"That's not what I meant! It's just that my uncle has a beach house not too far from here, so we don't need to spend money on a place to stay,"  
"But then that raises the question of how we'll get there," said Monika.

Natsuki's gaze shifted to the floor.

"If it's only for a weekend," said Yuri, "I'm sure my parents won't mind me using one of their cars."

It was Yuri's turn to be met with incredulous expressions.

"You can **drive**?"

The pink-haired girl covered her mouth when she noticed how loud she actually said that. Yuri's face flushed. She instinctively wove her purple locks between her fingers.

"Y-yes. I got my licence a few days after my birthday..."  
Sayori was stunned. "And you don't say anything~!"  
"The test was quite stressful, don't get me wrong, but I didn't think it was such a big deal, honestly..."  
"Yuri," said Monika, "I guess we learn something new about you every day,"

Yuri was relieved when the focus shifted away from her the moment the girls started discussing the details of their trip. They would depart soon after the last Friday of the school semester and return the following Sunday evening. Logistics and costs would be handled by Monika and Yuri, while Sayori and Natsuki would come up with activities for the four of them. Of course, Sayori and Yuri would have to arrange their accommodation and transport, but once that was settled, nothing would come in the way of their weekend getaway.

By the time they were done, there was half an hour left before the club meeting would usually end. Instead of cutting it short, the group decided to make good use of the time. Monika and Sayori started with their homework, Yuri continued with her most recent novel and Natsuki got to work on a poem. The latter two were the first to leave when time was up while leaders of the club stayed longer. Sayori spoke up when her friends' footsteps ceased to echo in the halls.

"Are you sure you're just tired?"

Monika paused somewhat abruptly as she packed her books away. The question had caught her entirely off guard, and her reaction would not allow her to talk her way out of answering it. A sigh escaped through her lips.

"Not really," she replied, zipping up her school bag.

As much as she didn't want to answer, she couldn't let Sayori worry. Her eyes were locked on the desk in front of her.

"I don't know how to explain it, but something just feels...off, for some reason. I haven't gotten much sleep the past three nights, and it's starting to eat away at me."

Sayori took a moment to think before responding.

"Does it feel like there's something missing?"  
"Not quite. It's more like some things don't really make sense anymore. I can't even give any examples because that's how strange this feeling is."

Monika frowned slightly as she looked up at Sayori.

"I know this must sound ridiculous, and I should probably just try and move on, but I can't."

Sayori offered a gentle smile.

"Don't worry. I know better than anyone that you can't just move on from anything whenever you feel like it, no matter how stupid it may seem to you. Just know that you shouldn't bottle it up. If you need someone to talk to, remember that I'm here for you."

Monika's frustration was quickly overshadowed by gratitude, so much so that she swiftly pulled her friend into a hug.

"Thanks, Sayori. It really means a lot."

The shorter girl was taken aback by the president's unusual display of affection, but she happily returned the gesture. Soon, the girls found themselves ambling outside of the school building. Sayori decided against any notion of conversation due to Monika's faintly aloof demeanour, opting instead for a comfortable silence. They exchanged nothing more than a smile upon reaching the intersection where they usually split up to walk to their respective homes.

When she eventually entered her room, Monika dropped her bag and flumped on to her bed face first. Sweet slumber was all but too hasty to lock her in its embrace, for she did not even kick off her shoes before slipping into unconsciousness.

* * *

 _A/N: Hey there! If you've read my other DDLC fic - **Breaking the Barrier -** to the end, you'll likely have read about how I was planning a future story. Well, here it is, right in time for DDLC's first anniversary! This one's gonna be much longer than the last - likely around 30 chapters. I'm planning to post a new chapter every 2-4 weeks, so look forward to that. Have a good one!_


	2. Chapter 2

Sky blue eyes shot open in the dead of the night. The red LED display on her alarm clock pierced Sayori's pupils, causing her to jerk her head away from the intrusion of her vision. An agonised groan escaped through usually cheery lips; there was no way she would get back to sleep. She tentatively turned to face the clock and find out just how long she was able to sleep.

' _02:53 huh? I've survived with less.'_

The only positive aspect of this situation that she could think of was that she had no obligations later in the day. She could take a nap later and waste the day away, as was her routine.

' _Happy thoughts. Happy thoughts...'_

The coral-haired girl soon realised that continuing to lie in her bed would serve as detrimental to her mental state, so she swiftly got out from under the covers before trudging to the kitchen. Sayori grabbed a bowl and headed straight to the freezer. There, she would remove the ice cream tub and begin filling the bowl with generous scoops of frozen dairy. She was grateful for the location of her mother's room in the house, for she did not have to worry about waking her with her late night snacking. As she placed a spoonful of ice cream in her mouth, she couldn't help but think that this has been happening far too often in recent years. Despite a constant feeling of fatigue throughout the day, a full night's sleep was something of a rarity; she consistently battled to fall into slumber.

Sayori was sure to eat her ice cream slowly. There was no telling how much time would decide to spite her, ticking one torturously sluggish second at a time. Ironically, she would look back on the life she had lived – a dreary mess – and be perplexed at how it seemed to pass in the blink of an eye. Regardless of her conscious effort to prolong her snacking, her spoon clinked against an empty bowl far too quickly for her liking. She promptly turned to rinse out her dish before leaving it in the sink. She then instinctively moved to the kitchen cupboards, methodically shuffling their contents in search of some new snack in a futile effort to fill her insatiable yet insensible appetite. She quickly settled on a half-empty bag of crisps. Suddenly, Sayori wanted tea. Had this not been a regular occurrence, she would have stopped to question her rather odd cravings. Instead, she chose to turn on the kettle.

One of the few things she could never fail to be grateful for was her speedy metabolism. Because of this, the aftermath of her late night rendezvous in the kitchen would only be a knock on her fragile emotional state as opposed to a physical manifestation. The click which signified that the water had boiled was what snapped Sayori out of her thoughts. She slowly retrieved a mug and a tea bag before preparing her hot beverage. As she was about to add sugar, she noticed that the cookie jar seemed unusually full, so she opted to drink her tea straight. Her eyes shifted to the packet in her left hand.

' _Hang on a minute...'_

Tea and crisps aren't a very pleasant combination, but she didn't want to put the latter back in the cupboard. She needed the usual counterbalance: soda. Next thing she knew, Sayori sat on a stool at the kitchen counter with a plate of cookies, a cup of tea, a packet of crisps and a glass of soda. She would consume each of these foodstuffs systematically in the order they were laid out, as if she were a robot programmed to do so. She did nothing more than savour the taste as she stared blankly ahead of her. Few intelligible thoughts were able to creep in her mind through the myriad of flavours, with even fewer of said thoughts having any semblance of positivity.

' _Happy thoughts. Happy thoughts... At least this isn't happening during the week like it usually does.'_

When did her life become like this? She vaguely remembered the first time she couldn't seem to get out of bed to get ready for school. Sayori was thirteen years old at the time. Without explanation, as soon as her mother had left her room after waking her up, she sank beneath the covers and began to cry. This particular feeling had not come over her for at least two years. Two years turned to one. Twelve months turned to six. Eventually, months turned to weeks, then weeks to days. In the past, whenever Sayori would look at herself in the mirror, she would see a cheerful girl who would, more often than not, be the one responsible for the smiles on her friends' faces. Nowadays, all she sees is a let-down; a liar.

In what had felt like a moment, her fingers felt around the bottom of an empty packet. Sayori's gaze shifted from the empty space ahead of her to the empty dishes on the table. Perhaps another attempt at falling sleep was warranted. After all, it was a better option than an unnecessary trip to the grocery store stemming from her desire to devour all the snacks. A minute of deliberation passed before Sayori ultimately decided to wash her dishes. She stood rather slowly and moved to the sink, but as she reached for the faucet, a voice deactivated her autopilot.

"You're up early."

The fleeting feeling of tension drained from Sayori's shoulders immediately upon realising that it was her mother behind her. Without turning around, she opened the tap and placed her hand underneath the running water.

"I guess you can say that."

Her mother furrowed her eyebrows.

"Another one of those nights?"

Sayori merely nodded in response. She was grateful that she didn't have to act in front of her mother. As much as she wanted to, she knew she would never fall for it. She likely inherited the genes to sense people's true emotions from her mother in the first place, so it wasn't exactly surprising. Initially, showing her raw emotions at home felt wrong. She kept asking herself _'How can she accept me if I'm not the happy daughter she thought I was?'_ , but she soon realised that her mother didn't love her for something so shallow. No, her love ran far deeper than that.

"I wish I could say it gets better, I really do, but I don't want to lie to you."  
"I know, mom."

For that – her mother's love – Sayori couldn't be more grateful. This is the reason why guilt took over her when her mind shifted to a particular item she had purchased from the hardware store a few days prior. Although her hands moved to wipe the tears from her eyes, they only served to make her face wetter. Sayori's subtle trembling did not go unnoticed by her mother, who swiftly comforted her weeping daughter. From their embrace, Sayori's mom reached to close the tap before the water could overflow. Mother and daughter stood alone as the glow of the rising sun steadily filled the kitchen. After an unknown amount of time had passed, Sayori unclenched the fists which had instinctively clutched on to her mother's gown.

"I'm sorry."  
"There's nothing to be sorry about."  
"I'm really sorry, mom."  
"Sayori..."  
"I'm always making things hard for you. I know it's hard for you to see me like this, but I can't help it. I'm just a burden on you. I'm sorry."

Sayori wept again. Her mother was stunned. Did she just..?

"Sayori," she said. Her unexpectedly stern voice caused her daughter to look at her in the eye.  
"I hope you're not thinking of doing anything drastic."  
"W-what?"

Sayori was clearly shocked, though her mother had no idea how to interpret this. Was she only taken aback by her mother's assumption, or was she scared that she had been found out? Either way, she shifted to a more gentle tone.

"Sweetheart, you've never mentioned anything of the sort, and understandably so, but if you feel things are getting too hard to handle, please talk to me. You could never be a burden to your own mother."

Sayori's expression softened.

"Can I be a bit selfish?" asked her mother.  
"If you ask so nicely," replied Sayori, "I don't see why not,"

They both smiled faintly.

"You're all I have."

She glanced at her now ineffectual engagement ring.

"So please, tell me you won't do anything irresponsible."

Sayori wore a sorrowful expression.

"I won't do anything irresponsible, mom."  
"Promise?"

She hesitated for a moment.

"Promise."  
"You don't sound so certain to me, Sayori."

She stuck out her pinky for her daughter.

"Pinky promise?"

Sayori couldn't help but smile at that.

"Pinky promise."

' _Liar.'_

They crossed pinkies, completing the gesture.

"That's one thing from your father that rubbed off on me. He was always a sucker for these types of things."

Hazel eyes met blue.

"I've told you that you got his eyes, right?"

Sayori sighed.

"Yes, just about every time you talk about him."  
"Sorry. It's just one of those things. You think it gets better with time, but there's not a day that goes by that I don't think of him. I guess this ring isn't helping much either."  
"It's okay, mom. I understand better than anyone."

They shared a knowing smile.

"Hang on a minute, I don't think I've ever told you where your name comes from."  
"Isn't it just your name with one different letter?"  
"That _is_ true, but it's not the full story. Not that the full story is much longer, but still."

Her mother moved to the dinner table to fetch Sayori's dishes. She spoke again once she reached the sink.

"You see, your father wanted to name his daughter after the two most important women in his life: his mother, Saori and me, Sayuri. So, we decided on Sayori."

Sayuri placed her ring in her gown pocket and began to wash the few dishes.

"That's so cheesy!" exclaimed Sayori, grabbing a dry cloth. "But I'd be lying if I said I didn't like it, ehehe."

Sayuri smiled.

' _Who would've thought that your daughter would be so much like you? It's just a shame she had to inherit your depression as well.'_

"Uhh, mom? You've been scrubbing the same plate for half a minute."  
"Hmm? Oh, sorry. I zoned out," Sayuri laughed sheepishly.

Once the dishes were done, they proceeded to pack away any stray condiments so that they could wipe the counters. Before they knew it, the kitchen was spotless. Sayori flashed an overenthusiastic grin at her mother.

"Mission complete!"

Sayuri chuckled at her daughter's antics. At last, she didn't sense anything strange regarding Sayori's emotions. Sayuri was relieved that she was finally feeling better. That is, until a sudden realisation caused her to frown.

"Hang on a minute..."  
"What is it?"

Sayori looked concerned.

"We just cleaned the kitchen, but I haven't made breakfast yet!"

They shared a gleeful laugh.

' _I guess she gets her air-headedness from me.'_

* * *

"Say, Yuri,"  
 _"Yes?"_

Sayori lay on her bed, basking in the early afternoon sun as she held her phone to her ear.

"Is it normal for people to crave sweet things in the middle of the night?"  
 _"Hmm… I enjoy reading up on these types of things, but I don't recall seeing any scientific explanation for these particular cravings. Why do you ask?"  
_ "Well, I just noticed that the kitchen is my first stop whenever I can't sleep, so I thought I'd find out if it was normal."  
 _"In that case, I can say from personal experience that I also crave snacks on the rare occasion that I wake up in the middle of the night."  
_ "Ooh~! If Yuri can't help it either, then that means I'm not weird!"  
 _"I wouldn't put it that way, exactly. This is mainly because of the undeniable fact that food is good. Actually, some sources of food are incredibly disgusting, so I suppose the fact isn't entirely undeniable. In that case, I must correct myself and say that_ _ **most**_ _foods are good. Wait, Sayori, why are you laughing?"_

The girl in question put her hand over her mouth to suppress her tittering.

"I'm sorry! It's just that you're overthinking things again and it's _a little_ funny how you can completely go off topic like that."  
 _"Oh, well then, I'm sorry."  
_ "There's not need to apologise, Yuri. I love it when you speak your mind!"

On the other end of the line, the purple-haired girl instinctively covered her face in embarrassment.

" _I'm sor- oh! I almost did it again."_

This time, Sayori's laughter was far from subdued, to the point where Yuri couldn't help but let out a chuckle of her own. Once the line became silent, Yuri spoke up.

" _I don't mean to sound rude, but what exactly was the reason you phoned?"  
_ "What do you mean?"  
 _"It's just that you sounded somewhat...uneasy when I picked up, only to then ask me about late night snack cravings, but it sounded like you only asked that question as a diversion of some sort. Is something the matter?"_

Sayori lay silent for a short time.

" _Oh dear, I realise now that I may have overanalysed the situation as usual! I'm sorry."  
_ "No, you're entirely right, Yuri. I'm actually quite surprised you managed to see right through me, despite us being so far apart."  
 _"I see...Well, I'm more than ready to listen to whatever may be on your mind at the moment."  
_ "How can I put this...say you have a friend that you grew up with, but you haven't been in contact with this friend for a number of years. How would you go about talking to them again?"

Blue eyes stared at the ceiling while Sayori patiently waited for her friend to gather her thoughts.

" _That is a bit of a tough question, but I'll try to answer as best as I can. I don't exactly have any childhood friends, so I can't really give a realistic answer. The closest experience of my own that I can use as a basis for advice is when my brother moved across the country to go to university. We hardly contacted each other in spite of how close we were. However, when he came to stay with us for a few weeks last year, we spoke and acted much like we did before he left, almost as if nothing had changed. A rather unexpected outcome, to say the least, but it worked out for me. Perhaps you should just go ahead and talk to your friend. Granted, my brother and I weren't exactly children when he left, not to mention that we happen to be family, but the chances that you'll easily reconnect with your friend should be quite high. Hopefully that helped."  
_ "So, do you think I should just bite the bullet?"  
 _"Yes. And if I have any personal advice to offer, it would be to not be like me. In other words, don't overthink the situation; don't ask yourself all these 'what if' questions, just go for it. Give them a call, send them a message. You never know what might happen."  
_ "I'll try."  
 _"Don't try. Do. You either make contact, or you don't. If you merely try, you'll likely end up picking up your phone, only to put it back down before you do anything."_

Sayori was surprised, to say the least.

"I didn't know you could be so strict, Yuri."  
 _"Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to come off as harsh."  
_ "Don't worry about it. I needed that. Thanks, Yuri!"  
 _"Well, in that case, I'm glad I could help. But don't waste time, Sayori! If you feel even an ounce of motivation right now, make use of it. There's no telling how you may feel an hour from now."  
_ "I see...so I should do it now!"  
 _"Exactly."  
_ "Alright then. I won't waste time. Ooh~! I just realised that I didn't even stop to ask how you were doing, Yuri."  
 _"Oh, don't worry about me. If you must know, I've been doing much better today than I have been in a couple of weeks. I don't have anything particular on my mind at the moment, but even if I_ _ **did**_ _have something to talk about, I don't have much time since I have a project to work on."  
_ "That's wonderful, Yuri! It makes me happy to hear that my friends are happy! I won't use any more of your time, so thanks again for your advice! I'll get to it right now~!"

' _Liar.'_

" _You're more than welcome, Sayori. Good luck! Let me know how it goes. I'll see you on Monday."  
_ "See you Monday, bye~!"

With that, Sayori's phone fell out of her hand and plopped on to her bed directly next to her. She simply lay there, staring at the ceiling. She reached up with her right arm and fixed her gaze on her delicate hand. Her pinky finger felt funny. In other situations, she would wonder why such a thing would be happening, but as she bent her pinky finger, she was reminded of the lie she told her mother. Sayori didn't even do anything childish, such as mischievously crossing her fingers behind her back; it was nothing less than blatant falsehood. At the bottom of a cardboard box hiding under her bed, carefully tucked underneath her old textbooks, was the rope with which she planned to end her life. Her pinky finger felt like a radioactive entity poisoning her hand. How she wanted to cut it off.

' _Happy thoughts. Happy thoughts.'_

Sayori closed her eyes, taking a deep breath as she tried to get her mind under control. She thought back to what her mother had told her before she had left for work.

" _My friends invited me to a reunion of sorts, so I'll be coming home a bit later than usual today. Say, why don't you go talk to Hikari?"_

 _Sayori tensed upon hearing that name._

" _Why would he want to see me?"  
"My question is, why wouldn't he? Do me a favour and just go knock on his door. I promise you won't regret it."_

' _How can you be so sure?'_ thought Sayori.

She didn't even know why she wasted time asking Yuri for advice. Maybe she thought that Yuri would be more 'understanding' and tell her what she wanted to hear. Little did Sayori know that her assumption couldn't have been more wrong. It just goes to show that, in spite of how well she thought she knew her friend, she would always surprise her in one way or another. But what did Yuri actually know about this situation in the first place? There was no way she could understand. How do two people just lose contact for so many years, despite going to the same school, despite living right next door to each other? Surely that meant that something was wrong. Yes, they spoke occasionally at school, but Hikari didn't seem to enjoy any of their conversations. She was just wasting her time.

" _...don't overthink the situation,"_

Yuri's words suddenly popped into Sayori's mind.

' _And that's exactly what I'm doing now...'_

She sighed as she turned on to her side. Why couldn't her fatigue just take over and let her sleep through this? It would make things so much easier.

" _I'd say I have a pretty good chance at getting us a new member this weekend."_

"Dammit!"

Remembering her own words, Sayori slammed a fist into her bed.

"How could anyone be so pathetic? Why do I do this?!"

For the second time that day, tears fell from blue eyes.

"I'm such a liar! And for what? What do I gain from this? Nothing more than disappointment!"

Guilt and shame quickly changed to anger; self-loathing to self-hatred. Sayori's next words came out as nothing more than a low whisper.

"I've had enough."

She stood rapidly from her bed and grabbed her shoes. The sudden rush of blood caused her to stumble as she reached the door, and she bumped her head on the doorframe.

"Oww..."

Though she clutched the left side of her forehead, Sayori did not pause for even an instant, for she was on a mission. She stopped by the bathroom to wash the tears off her face as well as attempt to fix her messy hair. She was only successful with the former task, but she didn't care. Sayori slipped on her shoes and marched out the front door. Seconds later, she stood in front of the house belonging to her childhood friend. As she reached out to knock on the door, an aching pain surged through the spot where she had hit her head. She withdrew her arm so that she could ease the pain, suddenly realising where she was.

' _What am I doing?'_

Sayori was about to turn on her heels and leave. However, the words from her friend stopped her dead in her tracks.

" _If you feel even an ounce of motivation right now, make use of it. There's no telling how you may feel an hour from now."_

' _Screw it.'_

She hastily knocked on the door three times and waited. There was no backing out now. 20 slow seconds passed. Sayori sighed.

' _I'm just wasting my time.'_

Once again, Sayori was ready to leave, but a voice coming from the other side of the door stopped her.

" _Hikari, can you please get the door? There's no reason to keep your guest waiting."  
"_ _ **My**_ _guest?_ _Why would I still be wearing pajamas if I was expecting someone?_ _Isn't it one of dad's friends? You know how he always forgets about his plans with other people."  
"It doesn't matter, just go."_

Sayori had to fight to keep her true forlorn feelings from manifesting themselves through her facial expression. Although she did it all the time, hearing Hikari's irritation made it more difficult than usual. For this reason, all she could muster was a faint smile as she heard the locks undone on the door in front of her. The look on Hikari's face immediately shifted from one of annoyance to one of surprise.

"Sayori?"  
"Hi, Hikari~! I hope I'm not disturbing you or anything, ehehe."

And just like that, her act was in motion.

' _It's much harder to be a phony when no one's around.'_

"No, not at all. I was just watching anime, as usual. What are you doing here?"  
"Hikari!" his mother interjected, "Don't be rude!"  
"Sorry," he replied, "it's just that this is unexpected, that's all,"

His mother hastily shoved past him to hug their guest.

"Sayori! I'm so glad to see you!"  
"Geez, you'd swear I didn't even exist," mumbled Hikari.  
"Don't be like that," reprimanded his mother, "for you, it might not be such a long time, but I haven't spoken to her in years!"  
"Sorry, Hikari," Sayori smiled devilishly, "looks like you've lost this one."

Hikari groaned.

"Come on in!"

Hikari stepped aside to allow his vivacious mother and his childhood friend entry into their home.

"So tell me, how've you been? Is school treating you well?"  
"Well, I've been doing good!"  
"It's 'well', not good," said Hikari, "you've been doing _well_."  
"Oh, you're right, ehehe. As for school...let's just say my grades could be better."

Sayori laughed sheepishly as they sat down on the couches in the lounge.

"Don't worry about that, dear," replied Hikari's mother, "though Hikari over here thinks he's some sort of genius, you're certainly not the only one,"  
"Mom!"  
"But don't dwell on that now. There's enough time before finals to get some good studying in!"  
"What's this I hear about me forgetting plans?"

The voice of Hikari's father echoed down the hall as he made his way to the commotion.

"It's nothing," replied Hikari's mother, "it just seems that Hikari left his manners in his room before he answered the door,"  
"Stop embarrassing me, mom!"

Hikari stuck his palm over his face. Sayori couldn't help but giggle.

"That laugh sounds familiar," said Hikari's father, "don't tell me...Sayori?"

Sayori stood as Hikari's father nearly ran into the room to hug her.

"You've grown so much!"  
"What can I say? It's been a while, ehehe."  
"Honestly," said Hikari, "aren't you guys being a bit dramatic?"

This earned him a curious look from his father.

"Jealous?"  
"W-what? No! Ugh I'd swear you guys are the teenagers!"

Hikari scowled upon hearing the chortling coming from his parents and his friend.

"I'll be in my room," he said, trudging upstairs.  
"Weren't we a bit mean?" asked Sayori.  
"He'll get over it," said Hikari's mother, "he's just moody at the moment."  
"Yeah," Hikari's father chipped in, "just wait until I whip up some food. That'll cheer him right up!"  
"In the meantime," said his wife, "I'll go get ready."

* * *

"This brunch is good!" said Hikari between bites.  
"What did I tell ya, Sayori," said his father, "simple, but effective."

Their meal of cheese omelettes and toast was soon finished. Hikari's father's eyes widened when he glanced at his watch.

"Oh my, we're going to be late."  
"You say that as if this is a formal event, dad."  
"And you say that as if you don't know how much I value punctuality, son."  
"Talk about ironic..."  
"Wait~, is this by any chance the same reunion my mom is going to?"  
"It may very well be, Sayori," replied Hikari's mother.  
"Ooh~! If you see her, please tell her I left my phone at home in case she tries to call. I don't want her worrying about me."  
"Will do! It's great to see you visiting again, Sayori. Just know that you'll always be welcome here!"  
"Well, kids," said Hikari's father, "we'll be off then."  
"No funny business, you two."  
"What did I say about embarrassing me, mom!"

Once again, Hikari was the laughing stock of his childhood friend and his parents, and he could do nothing but sigh as the latter two walked out the front door.

"Sometimes I feel like I can never catch a break..."  
"It's karma paying you back for being such a meanie!"

Sayori stuck her tongue out at him. Contrary to her expectations, she was not met with laughter. What she found instead, was a curious expression on Hikari's face.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

He reached out and brushed back Sayori's hair on the left side of her forehead.

"You're hurt."  
"Oh, that, ehehe. I kinda got out of bed too fast and got dizzy and stumbled into the door."

She glanced to the side as she said that.

"Ah, so it really _is_ you, dummy."  
"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?"  
"At first, I had my doubts that it was you standing at the door. Something about you felt…off for some reason. That was until I noticed your slightly red eyes and messy hair, meaning you had just woken up from a nap before you came here. Then I hear about you leaving your phone at home, and now I see you hit your head, too? Clumsy Sayori."

He flashed a smile before chuckling at his friend's carelessness.

"Ooh~ as usual you've seen right through me," replied Sayori, frowning.

' _Liar.'_

"Hey," called Hikari's father from the car, "would you at least close the door before you commit public indecency?"

Hikari groaned upon seeing his laughing parents drive off. Irritation rapidly turned to embarrassment as he realised that he had still been holding the side of Sayori's face. His arm swung back to scratch his head.

' _Reeeeaaal smooth, Hikari,'_ he thought to himself, grinning sheepishly.

Sayori let out a melodious laugh.

"Ooh~! So now I have the power to embarrass you, too? This is gonna be fun!"  
"Will I ever get a break from the teasing?"  
"I don't think so, ehehe~"

An icy wind suddenly tore through their skin, completely disregarding the warmth of the sun. Without a word, the two retreated into Hikari's house.

"Whew, that was weird," said Hikari, closing the door.  
"Aww, don't tell me you still think I have cooties, ehehe~!"  
"What? No! Geez, I was talking about the wind."  
"Oh! Yeah, it is a bit weird. Do you think it could be a sign of rain?"  
"Could be. Ah well, we'll find out soon enough. Hey, Sayori, why did you decide to come here out of the blue, anyway? Not that I have a problem with it, I'm just curious."  
"It was my mom's idea. If I had to guess, I'd say she suggested it because of that reunion. I'm glad I came, though."

Sayori took a moment to glance around the house.

"I really missed this place."

Hikari smiled. Now that she was there, he couldn't deny that he, too, missed his friend.

"Wanna go watch anime in my room?"  
"Sure!"

With that, the two friends made their way upstairs. Aside from an unmade bed, Hikari's room was tidy. Though the boy himself was fairly unmotivated and lazy in his life, at least he knew to keep his room clean. This was, in part, thanks to his previous routine of helping Sayori clean her own room whenever he visited her house.

"You can just make yourself comfortable on my bed, just like old times."  
"Like old times, eh?"

Sayori opted to sit cross-legged beneath the covers, resting her back against the wall so she could comfortably view the television.

"Why am I not surprised?"

Hikari took the bowl of popcorn and 2 litre bottle of soda that he had left on his desk before joining his friend.

"Any preferences?" he asked.  
"I don't wanna think too hard, so I'd have to go with something light-hearted."  
"Well then, the one I already have loaded up is perfect. This is only episode 2, so there's not much catching up to do."  
"Speaking of catching up, you're not behind with your schoolwork, are you?"

Hikari paused for a split second.

"That's a bit of an odd question."  
"Nu-uh! Remember what your mom said about your grades. I don't want you to struggle to get into college because you're lazy!"  
"Weren't you the one who said your grades 'could be better?'"  
"Yeah, but that's because I've been busy with club activities!"

' _Liar.'_

"Club activities?"  
"Didn't you know? I'm the vice president of the Literature Club!"  
"I didn't even know the Literature Club existed."

Sayori gasped and playfully punched Hikari's shoulder.

"Meanie!"  
"I'm just being honest!"  
"Hold on…what clubs do you think are available at school, anyway?"

Hikari paused.

"Let's see…there's the anime club…hmmm…"

Sayori frowned.

"The reason you don't know about the Literature Club is because you didn't even bother to check out any clubs!"  
"That's not true! The other clubs are…the, uhh…chess…club and…"  
"Now you're just guessing! Promise me you'll check out a few clubs on Monday?"  
"Seriously?"

She nodded.

"Alright, I promise, Sayori."  
"Good."

The blue-eyed girl smiled and hummed sweetly to herself.

"Seriously, you and my parents are one and the same: super dramatic."  
"Well, you need to have some balance if you're so monotonous all the time, Hikari."  
"Ouch."  
"I'm just being honest, ehehe~!"  
"I've lost again, haven't I?"  
"I'd say so."  
"Let's just start watching the anime before my ego gets bruised even further."

For five minutes, the two of them sat there peacefully, enjoying the slice of life that Hikari had put on as they snacked on the popcorn. That is, until Hikari offered Sayori some of his soda.

"What's with that look?" he asked.  
"Drinking straight from the bottle with a straw?"  
"It's better than drinking straight from the bottle _without_ a straw."  
"Why didn't you bring cups or something with you?"  
"You said it yourself: I'm lazy. Besides, this is something I learned from you, remember?"  
"Oh…"  
"Finally, I score a point!"  
"That still makes it 2-1."  
"Shh! This part's pretty funny."

And so, time ticked by as the two happily sat together, commenting on the absurdity of some of the events and sharing laughs. It truly felt as though nothing had changed. Soon, the room became dark.

"Really? I swear it was like 1 PM five seconds ago," complained Hikari.  
"We're only on the fourth episode. It couldn't have been _that_ long."

A quick glance out the window revealed that the sky had become cloudy: rain was on its way. As if it was on cue, the sound of thunder echoed in the distance.

"Interesting how rainclouds can darken such a bright day, huh?" said Hikari.  
"Yeah. Even though it's the middle of the afternoon right now, it looks like it's early in the evening."

It was Hikari's turn to gasp.

"Sayori."  
"Yes?"  
"Do you have any idea how much we look like a couple right now?"

Sayori's face flushed.

"W-what?"

Hikari chortled.

"You should see the look on your face!"  
"Meanie!"  
"I'd say we're even now."  
"Was it really necessary to gasp like that? I thought something was wrong."  
"Oh no, that's because there _is_ something wrong."  
"What is it?"  
"We forgot to do the dishes before we came up."

Sayori chuckled.

"It seems I'm not the only airhead around here...and you're telling me _I'm_ dramatic."  
"But you know how I am with cleanliness!"  
"Then let's get going! We need more snacks, too."  
"Once again, you haven't changed a bit, Sayori."

Before they knew it, the four plates and two pans were clean and packed away, and the two childhood friends had made themselves a cup of coffee each. Standing in front of the big window by the lounge, they watched as the rain softly pitter-pattered against the front lawn. Sayori had genuinely enjoyed her time with Hikari thus far. There wasn't a shadow of a doubt that she wasn't looking forward to spending the rest of the day with him.

' _You were right, Yuri. It's as if nothing changed.'_

She silently thanked her mother for coming up with the idea in the first place. However, Sayori felt as though she could not fully relish this rare instance of joy. There was this sinking feeling she carried with her each day. While it had been suppressed for the most part, the void within her had slowly siphoned each and every ounce of emotion she had felt. There had even come a point when her cheery attitude was no longer an act, but alas, she was forced to begin straining herself again. Her thoughts were moving back to darkness. Sayori's only saving grace was that there wasn't as much interaction between them while they were watching the anime, which meant that she didn't have to try as hard as she usually did. Thankfully, Hikari's voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

"You know, I could never understand why some people dismiss the rain as gloomy and bad weather, and nothing more."  
"What do you mean?" asked Sayori.  
"It's just that, if the sun was out all the time, every day would be boring, ya know? We need a few rainclouds every now and again. These people usually want 'perfect weather' all the time, but how would 'perfect' weather exist if there wasn't 'terrible' weather, as they call it? There's something about rainy days that I love. Walking in the house after a long day with a wet umbrella, kicking off my shoes and taking a hot shower."

Their eyes met.

"Not to mention moments like these: watching the rain while sipping on a good cup of coffee. Of course, you can't have rainclouds all the time. I think we'd all go mad if that was the case. That, and the possibility of flooding. I actually wonder what it would be like if rain was normal weather, with a few days of sunshine littered throughout the year."

Hikari stared through the window yet again, letting out a somewhat cynical laugh.

"Wow, I just realised how cheesy that must have sounded," he said.  
"Don't worry about that, I know exactly what you mean. That's my favourite part about rainy days, too."

Sayori offered him a warm smile, which he returned without hesitation.

' _Rainclouds, huh?'_

"My coffee's done," said Sayori.  
"Mine is, too. Shall we continue?" asked Hikari.  
"Mmhmm!" answered Sayori, smiling.

' _If only you knew about_ _ **my**_ _rainclouds.'_

Hikari opened the pantry and took out two big packets of crisps. He then passed them to Sayori before moving to the fridge and grabbing another bottle of soda.

"If you wanna be, **ahem** , _civilised_ , then perhaps it would be best to acquire two glasses for us, madam."  
"Oh no, sir, I was more than pleased with our previous arrangement. Additionally, the dishes were washed mere moments ago, so I would prefer not to create unnecessary work."  
"I'm not sure I understand your logic all too well, madam, for there are two mugs in the sink that require cleaning."

' _If only you knew that my days of sunshine are becoming few and far between.'_

They shared a laugh before going back upstairs and returning to their previous positions. In the blink of an eye, another 5 episodes had come and gone, and their snacks were depleted yet again. Sayori had started to feel drowsy, so, for a moment, she decided to rest her head on Hikari's shoulder.

' _If only you knew that I'm starting to drown.'_

"Sayori?"

Hikari was answered with the sound of gentle snoring. He laughed softly to himself.

"I was right. You really haven't changed at all, have you?"

The smile on his face showed that there was no denying it: Hikari was delighted to have his childhood friend back, if only for the day. As a matter of fact, a single thought crossed his mind when he eyed the sleeping girl.

' _I could get used to this.'_

* * *

 _A/N: Here's the second chapter, as promised! Future chapters likely won't be as long as this one, but I'd just like to let you know that you're in for quite a ride. Feedback is heavily appreciated, constructive criticism even more so. Till next time!  
_


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Very minor edit: Turns out I got Yuri's height wrong, so I corrected that! Thanks to shadow for pointing it out._

* * *

"I'm heading out," called Natsuki.

As expected, there was no response from her father. She gazed into the lounge and saw that he wasn't watching TV as he usually did on a Sunday morning. The possibility of him being asleep meant that, for once, his rudeness was excusable. She sighed and unlocked the back door before checking her jacket pocket for the money she needed.

' _That's everything.'_

The pay from her shift at the coffee shop the previous day was more than enough for the ingredients, so she left quite a few notes in her bedside cabinet for later. Thankfully, it wasn't a big batch of cupcakes she needed to bake for the literature club. Natsuki locked the inner steel safety door and left the key in a hidden, but accessible location in the house, just in case her father decided not to use the front door. She closed the outer door and glanced up at the nearby window, checking that it was slightly open, and promptly turned to walk to her destination, clutching the strap of the worn out backpack she carried. People are far less likely to take a package with unknown contents.

It was rather chilly outside. The cracked pavement was damp from the previous day's rain and, although the sun shone through occasionally, it was not nearly enough to neutralise the icy wind which ate away at her exposed skin. The pink-haired girl stuffed her hands into her pockets, wriggling her fingers to stimulate blood flow to keep them warm. Despite the cold weather, the streets were still bustling with people from her neighbourhood. She hastily greeted a few of the people who knew her and blatantly ignored the rest. A man approached her, stumbling, in an effort to make small talk.

"Sorry, I don't have anything," she said, knowing full well that it was just a ploy to get her to hand him a few coins for yet another beer.

She glanced up and down the road before crossing it swiftly to get away from the unpleasant gentleman. For a moment, she wondered how he would've ended up if he was raised under different circumstances. Was it a chain of bad decisions that caused him to throw his life away, or was he brought up in a household where that type of thing was normal? All Natsuki could say with certainty was that she wasn't going to follow in that man's footsteps, or anyone's, for that matter. She would carve her own path forward, though that would have to wait until she was released from the clutches of her own circumstances. When school was over, she'd move far away from the place and the people that sucked the life out of her; a fresh start.

She had to conceal the minor smile caused by this thought; any expression other than neutrality would only serve to irritate anyone looking to cause trouble. It was only when she reached her destination that Natsuki could express her mildly good mood, which was slightly enhanced by the warm atmosphere in the man's store.

"Morning," she said.  
"Hey Natsuki!" said the shopkeeper. "Haven't seen you in a while. How've you been?"  
"Never thought I'd say this, but pretty good, actually."  
"That's good to hear! How're things with the old man?"

Natsuki's expression fell slightly.

"Could be worse, I guess."  
"Sorry, I should've kept my mouth shut."  
"Don't worry about it. I'm here for baking ingredients."  
"Since you know where to find 'em, I'll leave you to it."

Natsuki headed to the back end of the small shop with one of the two worn out baskets. Though the handle was broken, it still got the job done, and before she knew it, Natsuki was finished with her shopping. She slipped off her backpack, opened it and put it on the counter as she usually did. The shopkeeper checked out her items one by one, speaking again when he packed the flour in the backpack.

"I wonder who's the lucky bunch those cupcakes are for."  
"Small group of friends of mine. Well, more for a potential new member at my school club."  
"Potential? Knowing your talents, I'd say you've already got this new member in the bag!"

Natsuki felt her lips curl up against her will. She took the money from her jacket pocket and put it on the counter.

"Speaking of bags," said the shopkeeper, taking the cash, "here's yours."

He gently pushed her backpack forward on the counter, dropping a few coins next to it. Natsuki swiftly took the bag of ingredients as well as her change.

"Thanks. That also goes for the compliment."  
"Anytime! Save one for me, okay?"  
"Definitely!"

With that, the pink-haired girl slipped on her backpack once more and waved before exiting the store. A quick peek down either side of the store revealed that the drunk man was nowhere to be seen, a fact which induced a sigh of relief from the young girl. The cold air prompted her to return to a neutral expression. It felt odd that she had to suppress her emotions just to survive. If it was only in the area around her neighbourhood, she would have an easier time accepting what seemed to be a fact. Show strength and people test you. Show weakness and people exploit your vulnerabilities. Thankfully, people at her school didn't fall prey to the behaviour of the former situation, hence her brash persona. Natsuki firmly believed that it was the only way she could survive. She felt that showing any emotion other than anger in front of strangers was a form of weakness – an impression which wasn't helped by her small figure – so her personality had adjusted to suit the situation. She chose to act in a repulsive manner because she didn't have time for anyone's crap.

This thought triggered memories of her friends: Sayori, Monika and, more recently, Yuri.

' _Okay, maybe I have time for_ _ **their**_ _crap. But only because they have time for mine.'_

A faint smirk appeared on Natsuki's face for a mere moment. She was tempted to look around in case anyone saw her, but she opted to keep facing forward. Rather surprisingly, she was already rounding the last corner on her way home, taking a quick glance across the road and crossing the street before walking the short distance to get back to her home. Was it really _home,_ though? By definition, she couldn't argue that the answer to that question was 'yes'. Natsuki shook her head and rid herself of pointless thoughts – those cupcakes weren't going to bake themselves. She found that the outer door was locked when she tried to get in through the back.

' _Great.'_

Natsuki made a brisk detour around the yard and discovered that her father's car was nowhere to be seen. She then checked the potted plant near the front door, only to find that the spare key wasn't there either.

' _Seriously? What's the point of even having a spare key?'_

Natsuki huffed in irritation. She walked to the slightly open window and took off her backpack and jacket before setting them both on the ground. She climbed on to the windowsill and pushed herself in the tiny space against the wall so that she could open the window outward without falling off. Natsuki then squeezed through the burglar bars and dropped down into the washroom. The pink-haired girl was grateful, for once, to be as small as she was. When she had returned the window to its previous state, she let out the breath she had unintentionally been holding.

' _Good thing that meathead never does laundry.'_

She heard unfamiliar voices coming from the lounge which, upon inspection, turned out to be the last bit of a news report covering a break-in near her area. While it wasn't enough to mitigate her annoyance, at least Natsuki could somewhat understand why her father decided to lock the doors and take the spare key. She could only be grateful that it wasn't every day that she had to enter the house in such an uncomfortable fashion as she hastily unlocked the back door. Upon retrieving her backpack and jacket, she experienced the short moment in which the sun teased with its rays through the remnants of the rainclouds before another cold chill contradicted the warmth, causing her to hurry back into the house. With the doors locked, Natsuki removed the ingredients from the backpack and set them on the counter. She then played music from her phone, washed her hands and got to baking.

Thanks to her previous experience, Natsuki made quick work of the cupcakes, singing along to her favourite tracks every step of the way. Soon, her creations were ready to be baked. Natsuki decided to use the timer on the oven for once, even though she had developed a natural sense of when the cupcakes should be ready. Her gaze was fixated on the used bowls and utensils, triggering memories of the days when she used to do this with her grandfather all those years ago. Although it was his profession, he had said that Natsuki was somewhat of a baking prodigy. She hadn't believed him until a blind taste test of their cupcakes with some other family members revealed that hers were just a little bit better than her grandfather's, despite her being eleven years old at the time. Two years later, he passed away. Natsuki remembered how her grandmother badmouthed her late husband later that day, after her father had to literally drag her away from the grave. That was the first time Natsuki truly stood up for someone, completely ignoring the age gap between them. It was also the first time she was slapped across the face for being 'disrespectful', as they all said.

" _Sounds to me like you didn't raise this brat properly, Nathan."  
_ " _Sorry, mom. I'll make sure it doesn't happen again-"  
_ " _Sounds to me like grandpa made a_ _ **mistake**_ _marrying_ _ **you**_ _!"  
_ " _Natsuki! Behave yourself. Now."_

Her father – Nathan – was not the one who had slapped her that day, but his threatening tone subdued her ferocious spirit through manipulating the fear which had been carefully etched into her soul throughout her life. That was the same year that everything went downhill. The abuse was exacerbated, and negligence was added to the mix. Natsuki had always known that Nathan resented her, believing that she was the sole reason his wife had died due to complications during childbirth. However, the two of them still shared good times. She remembered how she used to get spoiled whenever it was her birthday, sometimes even for no reason. Some of her fondest memories were from when she was a child, falling asleep, full on pizza, huddled next to her dad while watching animated movies together on any given winter night. However, in the year Natsuki turned seven, something changed.

Nathan had asked Natsuki to fetch a box of leftover takeout, but when she was about to enter the lounge, she stumbled on the small step in the doorway and dropped the box, splattering food all over the rug. Nathan stared at the mess for a moment before turning his gaze to his daughter. He felt an ungodly amount of rage at that moment and, for the first time in his life, snapped at his daughter.

" _Can't you do_ _ **anything**_ _right?!"  
"I'm sorry papa, I'll clean it up," she said, her voice shaking._

She left speedily and fetched a plastic bag and kitchen gloves. As hard as she tried, she couldn't suppress her trembling – he had never done anything like this before. When she returned, she felt a hard slap on her back which sent her tumbling into the mess she had made. Before the pain set in, she glanced up and saw a horrified expression on her dad's face. The last thing she remembered before bursting into tears was the sound of her father's car speeding off into the distance.

Natsuki jolted. Her heart rate went down as soon when she realised that it was only the oven timer which had nearly given her cardiac arrest. She took a deep breath and reached for the nearby oven mitt, shakily removing her creations from the intense heat before turning each dial to the 'off' position. Her gaze shifted to the steaming cupcake tray on the counter.

' _Now for the hard part: how do I decorate these?'_

A squeaky noise caught her attention. Natsuki scanned the kitchen for the source of the noise. She heard it again, this time from the window. Upon turning her head, she saw a cat which had jumped on to the windowsill.

"Copying me now, huh?" she asked.

The cat simply stared at her with wide eyes.

"This is why I don't like cats: they hardly respond to anything you do."

The cat meowed, as if it was an effort to prove her wrong. She took note of it now: it was a Siamese cat, complete with big blue eyes and black fur on its legs, which looked like knee high socks on otherwise white fur.

"All right, wise guy. You hungry?"

The cat tilted its head before rubbing itself against the burglar bars.

"I'll take that as a yes."

Natsuki moved to the fridge. She had hoped to find some leftover meat, but her only option was cheese.

"This isn't exactly good for you," she said, making her way to the window, "but I'm sure a little bit can't hurt, right?"

She opened the window and offered a small piece of cheese, which the cat happily accepted.

"I don't see a collar on you. A stray, perhaps?"

She soon realised that she was trying to make conversation with a cat which paid her no mind as it finished its treat. Without warning, the cat turned around and jumped off the windowsill.

"Not only don't you say anything, you also flash me before running away!"

The cat turned back and stared at her.

"No care, huh? All right then, since I see you're a boy, how about I name you Simon?"

Simon continued staring at her.

"Yes, I know, very original. Siamese...Simon. Give me a break, will ya?"

Simon shifted his head slightly downwards and turned gracefully, his tail whipping in a rather flamboyant manner, and ran off into the bushes.

"Simon it is, then. Oh what the hell am I doing?"

Natsuki planted a palm across her face.

"I think I may just be losing my mind."

Her mild embarrassment at her nonchalant conversation with an animal was soon misplaced by an incoming phone call from Yuri.

"Hello?"  
" _Hey, Natsuki. Just wanted to check in, make sure everything's okay."  
_ "Everything's...fine here," replied Natsuki, scepticism evident in her tone.  
 _"Was my approach_ _ **that**_ _obvious?"  
_ "Your approach? Oh, so there **is** something you wanted to talk about."  
" _I suppose I should've been upfront from the start. Oh well, no hiding it now..."  
_ "Hiding what, Yuri?"  
" _It's just...Sayori asked me to call you to check if the cupcakes were coming along nicely."  
_ "Isn't it a bit early in the day to be asking those questions? And why is she asking you?"  
" _You know how persistent she can be. She said, and I quote, 'Natsuki won't answer because she'll know I'm asking about the cupcakes.' When I'm done with this call, I'm sure I'll see at least ten messages from her."_

Natsuki giggled.

"Well, if she **must** know, the cupcakes are ready. I'm just waiting for them to cool down so I can decorate them."  
 _"That's good to hear. Say, would you mind sending me a picture? I think that's the only way Sayori will stop bugging me about this."  
_ "Okay, but she'll have to be satisfied seeing what essentially looks like muffins."  
" _Sending undecorated cupcakes is a better than sending only my word."  
_ "Sounds to me like Sayori put in a lot of effort in getting our new member."  
" _I agree. And now she's on our backs – likely an effort to impress him."  
_ "Did you just say 'him'?"  
" _Hmm? Oh, I don't know, I was just sort of making an assumption."_

Yuri's nervous chuckle on the other end of the line hardly supported her excuse.

"Well, if she is bringing a boy, then I guess it makes sense for her to try so hard to impress him, wouldn't you say?"  
" _I'd rather not go into this topic of conversation."  
_ "Alright, Miss Yuri."  
 _"Miss..?"  
_ "You're speaking so formally, I couldn't resist."  
" _Oh..."_

The phone call was getting awkward. Fast.

"Well, I have cupcakes to decorate-"  
" _Wait, Natsuki. There's another thing I wanted to ask you about."  
_ "And that would be..?"  
" _Remember you said we should both go get help. Were you being serious?"_

Natsuki thought back to the past Wednesday. She wasn't exactly joking when she said it, but now she felt no need to act on her idea.

"I was serious, sort of," said Natsuki after a momentary pause, "but now...I feel fine, you know?"  
" _And what about the next time you don't feel fine?"_

Natsuki wasn't in the mood for difficult questions.

"I don't know, Yuri. I guess I'll reconsider it in that case. Do **you** want to go through with it?"  
" _I must say that I, too, have my doubts at the moment. But, I'd like to let you know that if you ever reconsider, no matter how random the timing may be, I'll be more than willing to take you up on that offer. I can't imagine facing such a challenge by myself."  
_ "In that case, I'll have to say the same to you, Yuri. Though, even if you just need to talk, I'll always be here. I may be small, but that doesn't mean you can't cry on my shoulder if you have to."  
" _Thanks, Natsuki. I probably sound a bit like a parrot, but the same goes for you. As the saying goes: that's what friends are for. Anyway, let me not bother you any further."  
_ "Yeah, I'd better get busy. I'll see you tomorrow at school, then."  
" _See you tomorrow. Oh, and don't forget to send the picture."  
_ "I won't, don't worry,"

With that, Natsuki hung up. She turned her attention to the two trays of cupcakes, taking a quick picture and sending it to Yuri before resting her chin on her arms. She had no clue how she was going to decorate them; there were too many options.

' _Maybe I should've asked Yuri...'_

Her eyes lit up.

"Simon!" she exclaimed.

With a smile on her face, Natsuki began preparing the icing sugar.

* * *

Yuri sat on the couch, absentmindedly tracing her thumb across the edges of her cell phone.  
It was rare for her to regret waking up as early as she usually does. Everything she wanted to do in preparation for her parents' return was done: the house was clean, plants watered, car washed. All before noon. A sigh escaped through her lips as she turned to flop on to the cushions. She eyed the nearby bookshelf to no avail, for her last novel was finished shortly after she was done working on her school project the previous day. Sometimes, the purple-haired girl felt as though she was a little bit _too_ productive.

Shaking her head, Yuri stopped herself from fiddling with the sleeve of her sweater. She grabbed the TV remote from the coffee table and proceeded to lay on her side, half-heartedly watching a murder documentary which had just started. Yuri felt her eyelids droop as the killer was about to be revealed. Suddenly, her near-snooze was interrupted by the buzzing of her phone by her hip. She sat up, rubbed her eyes and checked the notification.

 _Sayori: They already look so yummy even without decorations~!_

The purple-haired girl frowned. The way Sayori was pestering her earlier, she wondered why this message came through so late. Nevertheless, she didn't mention this in her own response.

 _Do you think our new member will be impressed?  
_ _Sayori: Of course~! He'll love it!  
_ _Ah, so it_ _ **is**_ _a boy.  
_ _Sayori: Whoops ehehe~  
_ _It's nothing to be shy about._

Yuri laughed, both at her own hypocrisy and at her friend's childish antics. She was, in fact, slightly nervous when it came to the new member, especially now that it was confirmed that it won't just be girls at the Literature Club any more. Aside from her usual social anxiety, the comfortable dynamics with her friends were bound to change. Her curiosity got the best of her.

 _How would you describe our new member?  
_ _Sayori: You'll see tomorrow~!  
_ _Sayori: Wish I could chat longer, but I have to run errands with my mom now  
_ _Sayori: Bye Yuri~!_

Yuri raised an eyebrow. Sayori was hardly ever this dismissive. She decided to call Monika, so she grabbed the TV remote and lowered the volume as the call was going through. After six rings, the club president finally picked up the phone.

" _Hey, Yuri. Sorry I took so long to pick up, you caught me in the middle of washing dishes."  
_ "Hi Monika. Sorry to bother you."  
" _It's not a big deal. This 'activity' certainly isn't anything I'd consider to be fun."  
_ "Oh, well in that case, I called to ask something concerning our new member."  
" _I'm listening..."  
_ "Sayori essentially confirmed over text that it might be **you-know-who.** What can you tell me about him?"  
" _Are you sure this isn't an interrogation of some sort?"  
_ "Oh dear, I didn't mean for it to come off that way. I suppose I may be overly curious. That and too much time spent watching crime documentaries."

Monika tittered on the other end of the line.

" _Tell me, Yuri. What did Sayori say?"  
_ "She only said that I'll find out tomorrow before she ran off to do errands with her mom. Or so she says...hey, would you stop giggling?"  
" _Sorry, I can't help but laugh at this situation, or rather, how it's affecting you right now. Relax, Yuri, nothing bad is going to happen. Promise."  
_ "How do you know?"  
" _He was in my class last year. Hikari, I think his name was. His personality is somewhat of the generic protagonist type, but he's not a bad guy. The only other thing I know is that Sayori has a serious crush on him."  
_ "That explains quite a lot, actually. She gave off hints of a crush, but now that I know this as a fact...I suppose I can't really blame her."  
" _Yeah. Hopefully that helped. Otherwise, like me, you'll have to wait and see what happens tomorrow. Don't think too much about it, just enjoy the day!"  
_ "That would be much easier if I had something to do right now."  
" _Wait, didn't you say your parents were coming home today?"  
_ "Yes, they are, but only around 6 PM. I've already done everything in preparation for their arrival. Well, everything except cook. I'd rather do that closer to the time, you know?"  
" _I see..."_

After a momentary pause, Monika spoke again.

" _Hey, what's your phone plan look like?"  
_ "My...phone...plan?"

The reason for Monika's question suddenly clicked in Yuri's head.

"Oh! I have unlimited talk time on weekends."  
" _So we can chat as long as we like! Just hang on real quick...there we go. Phone's on loudspeaker, what's on your mind, Yuri?"_

During the time the two girls were on the phone, Yuri made her way around the house three times, walking and talking, as well as fiddling with the loose strings on the shutters in each room. That is, until she decided to prepare a cup of tea for herself. Monika, on the other hand, had finished with the dishes and was now lying on her bed, phone on the charger, legs slowly kicking the air she rested her head on her hands. It wasn't until Yuri had reached the lounge for the third time, placing her empty teacup on the coffee table, that their conversation was interrupted.

"Wait a minute..." said Yuri.  
" _What is it?"_ replied Monika.  
"There's a car parking in the driveway, one I don't recognise. Wait...is that?"  
" _Who is it?"_

Yuri gasped.

"It's my brother!"  
" _Don't let me stop you! Great talking to you, Yuri."  
_ "Oh my, I'm being rude, sorry. I'll see you tomorrow, Monika!"  
" _Don't worry about it!"_

The last thing Yuri heard before she hung up was the sound of her friend's laughter. Any trace of embarrassment was quickly overshadowed by her excitement. She rushed to the door and opened it just as her brother put his luggage bag down to knock. His short purple hair glowed in the brightness of the afternoon sun.

"Oh, hey there!" he greeted.  
"Yuma!" exclaimed Yuri, "I thought you were only coming back in a few months."  
"That was the plan," said Yuma, "but I finished all my assignments early and I figured 'why not come back a bit early?' I hope I'm not intruding or anything..."

Yuri hugged her brother.

"Of course not," she said, letting go. "Is that all your luggage?"  
"Yep. Can I come in now? My back is killing me from that drive."  
"Oh, sorry," said Yuri, laughing sheepishly.

Yuma smiled before speaking again.

"Glad to see you haven't changed much,"

He walked into the house, luggage bag in his hand and laptop bag slung over his shoulder.

"Is there anything you'd like?" asked Yuri as she closed the door behind him.  
"A cup of tea would be nice, thanks."

Yuri smiled and nodded as her brother made his way upstairs. She walked into the kitchen, filled the kettle and was about to take the teacups out of the cupboard when she heard Yuma call from the living room.

"Were you bored again?"  
"What do you mean?" replied Yuri.  
"Crime documentaries on the TV," said Yuma, now standing in the doorway, "you only ever watch those when you have nothing else to do."  
"Well, like you, I also finished my 'assignments' early for when mom and dad show up."  
"I see. Though, if I had to turn into a detective, I'd deduce that you were on a phone call with someone before I showed up."

Yuri turned to face Yuma.

"And what would give you that idea?" she asked.  
"You can hardly hear anything," said Yuma, "there's an empty teacup on the table, still steaming..."

He walked into the kitchen and stared off to the side as he picked up a toothpick from the container on the counter.

"And," he continued, pointing the toothpick at Yuri, "my sister would never do something as careless as leaving the television on when she's not watching."

He finished by sticking the toothpick in his mouth. All you had to do was put on a trench coat, then swap the toothpick with a cigarette and you'd have a typical detective. Yuri chuckled at her brother's antics.

"Oh my, you've caught me red-handed."

Yuma pointed the toothpick at her again.

"So tell me, Miss Yuri," he said, placing the toothpick back in his mouth, "who was it that you were talking to? Your mother, perhaps?"  
"No, actually. It was a friend of mine."  
"And how long did this conversation last?"  
"I...don't know. All I know is that I called her a little bit past noon."

Yuma was perplexed.

"I was wrong, you have changed."  
"What do you mean by that?" asked Yuri.  
"Just a few weeks ago, on your birthday, one of our phone calls lasted half an hour and you said it was the longest phone call you've ever had."

Yuri gazed curiously at her brother.

"I'm not following."  
"It's 2 PM."  
"What?"

Yuri's eyes widened as she glanced at the clock.

"Oh wow, you're right. If you ask me, it certainly didn't feel that long. But, I must say that I don't feel very different. It just feels as though I may have better friends now compared to back then. Friends who actually listen to what I have to say."

She smiled upon thinking about her phone calls with Monika and Sayori, not to mention her and Natsuki's recent friendship.

"Aside from that, you seem happier."

Something on the counter caught Yuma's attention.

"What's this I see?" he said, grabbing a card-shaped object on the counter.  
"Oh, I was meant to put that away after buying groceries yesterday."  
"I'm glad you didn't! You didn't tell me you went for your driving test so soon after your birthday."

Yuri smiled.

"What can I say, you taught me well."

Yuma put down his sister's licence before sneaking a curious glance at her sleeves.

"Have 'things' gotten better?"

Yuri followed his gaze and drew a shaky breath before answering.

"Yes, actually. I had my longest streak up until this past Wednesday: 3 weeks. Even then, it was _sort of_ broken by accident."

Yuma's questioning expression prompted Yuri to elaborate.

"I was about to do it again, but then my friend knocked on the front door, startling me and...you know."

Yuma bit down on the toothpick. A moment passed before he spoke again.

"I see. Well, I'm proud of you in any case. 3 weeks is nothing to scoff at."

Yuri smiled, but had her hands folded by her waist as she stared at the floor.

"I'm sorry I can't be around as often as I'd like," said Yuma.  
"It's not your fault. I'm the one who doesn't want to get professional help. I still haven't told mom and dad about it."  
"Hey, there's no rush. Speaking of mom and dad, when did they say they were going to be back?"

Yuri looked up.

"In about 4 hours, why?"  
"Say, how's about you forget about the tea and go park my car? Let's take a walk and get something by the café instead. I need some exercise after that long drive to get here."  
"Okay!" said Yuri.

The enthusiasm in her reply awarded Yuri with a bewildered expression from her brother, followed by a chuckle.

"Lies," accused Yuma, "it's not just your friends. You _have_ changed."  
"What makes you say that?"  
"A year ago, you would've given me a hesitant 'yeah' and joined me as if you had no choice in the matter. You've grown."  
"It's probably just my friends' influence-"  
"While they might have had some part in it, it's not all on them. You have to give yourself a bit more credit than that, Yuri."

The girl in question weaved her hair between her fingers.

"I suppose you're right."  
"You _know_ I'm right. By the way, do you even notice when you do that?"  
"Do what?"  
"Play with your hair like that."

Yuri's hands froze momentarily before returning to their position folded by her waist. She laughed sheepishly.

"Not really. Nervous habit."  
"Hey, it's nothing to be embarrassed about. The way you do that so often, I'm just surprised you haven't told me about any guys that might have made a move on you."  
"What?"

He merely laughed in response as his sister's face flushed. Yuma spoke as he made his way out of the kitchen.

"I left my keys on the coffee table. I just need to use the bathroom before we go. By the way, you can't tell me your boyfriend hasn't called it a cute habit."  
"Y-Yuma!"  
"See you outside!" called Yuma, sniggering as he picked up his pace.

Yuri's embarrassment was soon mitigated by a light-hearted chuckle. She quickly went to her room to put on shoes before heading outside. Once Yuma's hatchback was parked next to their mother's sedan in the garage, Yuri found her brother waiting for her on the porch. Yuma took his car key from Yuri's outstretched hand and shoved them in his pocket along with the house keys.

"Shall we go?" he asked.

Yuri nodded. As the two of them made their way down the street, Yuri took note of the difference in their height. Despite being tall relative to even some of her male classmates, Yuri was actually the shortest in her family, falling one inch behind her mother, 5 inches behind her father, and a whole foot behind her brother.

"Do you ever realise how tall you really are? It's not very often that you find someone that's six foot five."  
"Well, it's the first thing people say when I meet them for the first time, but it hasn't really occurred to me until I met up with a few friends from primary school one time. The second tallest one there was around dad's height, so I couldn't help but notice it then. Oh, and I can't forget those times when I have to bend down slightly to get through doorways."  
"I see."

The two walked for a short distance before Yuri spoke again.

"By the way, I don't have a boyfriend."  
"After you gave me that whole speech on your priorities that one time, trust me, I know. It's just fun to tease you about it. One thing that hasn't changed is how easy it is to embarrass you. That reminds me: I actually brought that up for another reason."

Yuma stopped in his tracks, promptly followed by Yuri, and took out his phone.

"So," he said, opening the gallery, "this happened today."

At first glance, it looked like an ordinary picture of him and his girlfriend at the top of a mountain overlooking the valley. That is, until Yuri took the phone out of his hand to take a closer look.

"Is that..."

Yuri gasped and looked at her smiling brother.

"Congratulations!" she said with excitement.

The siblings shared another hug.

"I can't tell you how excited I am to tell mom and dad I have a fiancé now. It's just a shame she couldn't come with me because she has so much work to do, but hey, who says we can't just have plain old family time?"  
"Either way, it's still great news! I'm so happy for you."

The rest of the walk to the café was filled with Yuma giving Yuri all of the details leading up to his proposal, up until the nerve-wracking moment when he finally popped the question.

"I swear, even though I've dated her for three whole years, my heart nearly stopped when I got down on my knee."  
"It just goes to show that she's the one for you. If you asked me, I'd say she's quite lucky to have you."  
"I'd say it's more the other way around."  
"Sounds to me like your head is in the clouds."  
"Can you blame me, though?"

Yuri giggled.

"I suppose not," she said.

As they approached the entrance of the café, Yuri spotted a short girl with particularly pink hair walking in their direction, clad in a plain black, long-sleeved shirt and blue jeans.

"Natsuki?"

The pink-haired girl adjusted the straps of her backpack.

"Yuri? Didn't expect to see you here."

Natsuki gazed up at Yuma with wide eyes.

"Wow, you are **tall** ," she said.

Yuma looked at his sister.

"See what I mean?"

Yuri covered her mouth in an effort to suppress a chuckle.

"I presume she's a friend of yours, Yuri."  
"Oh, yes. Where are my manners? Natsuki, this is my brother, Yuma. Yuma, this is my friend, Natsuki."

Yuma smiled and extended his hand.

"Pleased to meet you," he said.

Natsuki rather awkwardly shook his hand.

"Pleased to meet you, too," she said. "Sorry, I'm not really focused at the moment."  
"Don't worry about it," said Yuma. "Care to join us?"  
"Sure," she replied.

The three of them walked into the fairly empty café.

"You two can grab a seat, I'll order," said Yuma, "what would you like?"  
"Chai latte, please," said Yuri.  
"Cappuccino and a blueberry muffin," said Natsuki.  
"Noted. I'll join you in a bit."

The girls nodded. Natsuki led Yuri to her usual spot in the corner of the coffee shop.

"I had no idea you had a brother."  
"I never saw any opportunity to mention him at the club, so I never deemed it necessary."  
"You have a point. But why is it that I know Monika has a little sister?"  
"That's because she's so popular. It's essentially common knowledge at school."

Natsuki huffed.

"I guess. Anyway, what brings you here?"  
"Yuma's idea, said he needed exercise. I could ask you the same thing."  
"It's sort of a routine for me, though I don't come here every Sunday."

Yuri noticed that Natsuki was anxiously fiddling with a sugar sachet.

"Is everything okay?"

Natsuki nodded, her eyes locked on the table.

"Just a bit uneasy, that's all. I don't know why though. Papa hasn't bothered me today, or at least, not directly. It just sort of happened after I finished decorating the cupcakes."  
"Could it be that you're also a bit worried about the new member?"  
"I guess so. But I imagine you're worse off than me in that department."  
"On the contrary. With Yuma making a surprise entrance, I haven't had the chance to over think it as I usually do, but I was slightly worried before he showed up. Monika tells me we shouldn't worry about it too much – apparently he's not such a bad guy."

Natsuki looked up at her friend.

"So it **is** a guy..."  
"That is correct. And I hear Sayori has a fairly major crush on him."  
"That explains a lot."

Yuma walked up to their table with a tray in his hands, handing the girls their drinks before taking his own and sitting down.

"Thanks," said Natsuki and Yuri.

There was silence for a moment as all three of them took a sip of their beverages.

"So no one here takes sugar?" asked Yuma.

Natsuki and Yuri shared a glance before shaking their heads.

"Finally, people who understand!" he said. "I always get strange looks from people when they realise I didn't sweeten my drink."  
"It takes away from the strength of the coffee," said Natsuki, "not to mention how badly sugar can impact your health."  
"Seems to me you have good taste in friends, Yuri."  
"Funny story, actually," began Yuri.

She detailed how she and Natsuki would constantly argue, with the pink-haired girl adding in her side of the story.

"We only really came to somewhat of a mutual understanding recently," said Yuri.  
"I guess you can say your sister slapped some sense into me,"

Yuri's face reddened.

"Natsuki!" she whispered.  
"What?" responded Natsuki, laughing. "If you think about it, it's actually quite funny."

Yuma's eyes lit up in understanding.

"I see," he said, "so someone ended up taking it too far, and it all worked out in the end."

Natsuki was surprised by his quick deduction. Noting this, Yuri responded.

"Yuma wants to become a detective. He's studying forensics."  
"I was once on the receiving end of Yuri's anger. Trust me, it takes **a lot** to get her to that point. But seeing as you can sit here and talk about it now as friends, I don't have any reason to judge."  
"Oh. Thanks, I guess."

The quick flash of disappointment on Natsuki's face, as well as her subtle sunken demeanour, did not go unnoticed. She glanced decisively at Yuma for a moment while she folded the muffin wrapper. Yuma, having taken the last sip of his own chai latte, recognised her discomfort; she clearly had something to get off her chest. He glanced at his watch.

"Say, Natsuki." he began.

The pink-haired girl looked at him curiously.

"Where are you going after this?"  
"I'm headed to town to buy some stuff. Why?"  
"Perfect. I need Yuri to go buy some champagne for when our parents show up. How's about we head home, then you two can take my car."  
"Okay," said Natsuki.

The slight glint in her eye told Yuma that his plan was effective.

"All right then, are you guys done with your drinks?"

The girls nodded. Natsuki reached into her backpack to take out some cash, but she was interrupted by Yuma's voice.

"That won't be necessary,"  
"You don't have to pay for my stuff, you know?"  
"I know, but the barista said it's on the house. Somewhat of a thanks for your hard work yesterday."

Natsuki scowled.

"Don't look at it that way," said Yuri, "maybe you should use the money you save to pay it forward."

The pink-haired girl's facial expression remained the same, but she consciously kept herself from speaking with a toxic tone.

"Fine," she said, standing up, "I'll see you outside."

She left the table, aggressively slung her backpack on to her shoulders and glared at the barista, who merely shrugged her shoulders. Natsuki huffed and stepped outside. Yuma spoke in a hushed tone.

"Is she always like that?"  
"Most of the time, yes. But it's mostly a front, I'd say."  
"I see. Well, I'm not too surprised since I was warned that she might react like that. Shall we be on our way?"  
"Of course."

The two of them walked to the counter to pay.

"I hope I didn't put you in a difficult position," said the barista.  
"It's no trouble," said Yuma.

Soon, Natsuki was joined by the purple-haired siblings. The walk back to the house was filled with mostly idle chatter. Nonetheless, it passed by relatively quickly for all of them. When they reached the house, Yuma began preparing dinner for the family while Yuri hastily retrieved some cash, her ID and driver's licence. She got the car keys from her brother and opened the garage. When they entered the car, Natsuki watched attentively as Yuri adjusted the mirrors and turned on the ignition. The purple-haired girl noticed this when she reversed into the driveway.

"And that smirk?"

Natsuki turned to look out the window.

"It's just kind of weird seeing one of my friends behind the driver's seat. It just seems like such an...'adult' thing to do, ya know? Kinda reminds me that we're growing up."

She turned back to face Yuri.

"Not to mention that it's **you** I'm talking about. Though I wouldn't exactly imagine Sayori beating you to the punch with something like this."

Yuri spoke when she pulled away.

"Well, as a rather secretive person, it's no wonder that so few people are aware of my abilities."  
"Just don't be surprised if anyone says that spending time with you is a learning experience."

The pink-haired girl spoke with a bored, yet sincere tone. A curious glance from Yuri revealed that Natsuki was tracing her fingers on the AC vents with a clearly distracted gaze.

"What's on your mind?" asked Yuri.  
"It's a bit cluttered, but one thing that stands out is that I'm a bit nervous for tomorrow."

Natsuki was suddenly conscious of Yuri's methodically elegant way of driving. The way she changed gears – the swift motion of her leg to press in the clutch, accompanied by the careful way of feeling where to push the gear lever – was a complete juxtaposition to the reckless nature of her father's driving; where her father forced the car to take him where he wants to go, Yuri worked with it in a delightfully co-operative way. It reminded Natsuki of when she found her mother's licence by chance the one day, when she knocked over a box in her father's closet while searching for money. She wondered how her mother used to drive. She wondered if her father was also methodical at a point; if it wasn't perhaps bitterness that created his forceful style. She wondered if he ever abused her mother.

"Natsuki?"  
"Hmm? Oh, I zoned out for a moment there, sorry. Some of your habits are starting to rub off on me," she said, her tone nonchalant.  
"I asked if you've pinpointed why the new member is causing this stress for you."

Natsuki paused in thought.

"The first thing that comes to mind," she began, "is that it's always just been the four of us, you know? The club is a bit of a safe space for me, and I don't know if I want to risk losing that. I'm probably just making a mountain out of a molehill, but it's a bit difficult for me to accept."

Yuri pondered her friend's words.

"Maybe you should try and think of how you felt in the first few days of joining the club. Things weren't as they are now – it was quite awkward for all of us, especially since it isn't immediately clear what activities one does in a literature club. And don't worry, you're not being dramatic or anything like that. I know better than anyone how it feels to have something small seemingly control me. Plus, as you said, we're still growing. There's no need for us to be acting like adults right away and pretending that these things don't bother us as much as they do. By the way, Monika told me this guy is sort of like a generic protagonist, so I don't think you'll even notice him."

Natsuki frowned for a moment before giggling.

"Generic protagonist?"

Yuri laughed.

"Her words, not mine. Personally, finding out that a guy is joining our group made me worry about the dynamics a little bit, but with Yuma here and my parents arriving later, I'm lucky enough to have a distraction from my thoughts until tomorrow. Oh, we're here."

It took a minute to find a parking spot seeing as it was a Sunday afternoon, but the girls were soon ready to make their respective purchases. Yuri headed to the grocery store and was mildly disappointed to see such a long queue. Natsuki, on the other hand, was met with only the teller upon heading to the book store. She took a few rather anxious steps to the comic book corner. She hated the fact that there were no dedicated comic or manga stores anywhere nearby, so she always had to wait a few weeks before she was able to buy the new volumes. Natsuki's eyes lit up when she saw that the latest issue of Parfait Girls was _finally_ available in the area. However, when her attention turned to the price, she instantly felt a surge of irritation, for it had gone up.

She checked the amount of cash she had in her jean pocket – barely enough to purchase it. A sigh of relief escaped through her lips, and for once she was grateful that her barista buddy stubbornly chose to help her out. If she had to pay earlier, she'd have to wait another agonising week. Still, she wasn't entirely pleased as she made her way to the counter, nearly slamming the book and cash down before immediately crossing her arms. She offered a forced smile when the retailer happily told her to enjoy her day. There was supposed to be more than just a couple of coins in her pocket at this point. Natsuki was even more annoyed by this, since it meant that she had to put in more work than usual to get what she wants. And in her last year of high school, too.

' _Nothing I can do about it, so why complain?'_ she thought to herself, scowling.

She folded her arms as she leaned on Yuma's car, waiting for Yuri to hurry the hell up so she can get home. She started to read the blurb on the back cover when something caught her attention in the distance. It was Sayori, looking as bubbly as ever in a yellow summer dress, walking with a woman who would logically be her mother. Natsuki raised an eyebrow for a moment before continuing her initial plan. Thankfully, Yuri showed up soon.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," she said.  
"It's not a problem," replied Natsuki.

They got in the car, put on their seatbelts and went on their way.

"Find everything you were looking for?" asked Yuri.  
"Yep. What took you so long anyway?"  
"Lots of people like to do their shopping on a Sunday afternoon, apparently."  
"Understandable. Oh, I saw Sayori walking with someone – probably her mom."  
"Ah, so she wasn't lying when she said she had errands to run."

The rest of the car ride was filled with a somewhat awkward silence. When the car was parked, Natsuki carefully placed the book in her backpack and got out the car.

"Thanks, Yuri," she said.  
"You're welcome to stay with us."  
"I'd rather not take the chance. Besides, champagne calls for some big news and I'll probably only be intruding."  
"You really won't be-"  
"Are you sure you're not just taking pity on me like everyone else?"

Yuri was taken aback by this sudden outburst.

"I'm not-"  
"Thanks, but no thanks, Yuri. I'll see you tomorrow."

With that, Natsuki walked off with short, fierce strides. Yuri felt a lump forming in her throat, but she ignored it. She took the bottle of champagne and her belongings and headed inside, making sure she locked the car before closing the garage behind her.

"Everything okay?" asked Yuma.  
"Natsuki snapped at me after I offered for her to stay here for the day."

Yuma bit his lip as he momentarily paused in thought.

"This might be a bit rich coming from someone who doesn't know her very well, but don't take it personally. It seemed to me as if there was something bothering her."  
"Don't worry – I noticed it, too. She should hopefully cool off by tomorrow."

She walked up to the stove and inspected Yuma's handiwork.

"I see you haven't burnt the food yet."

He only laughed nervously in response. Although Yuri appeared fine, there was a miniscule feeling of guilt which cropped up occasionally for the rest of the day. She considered sending an apology to Natsuki, but it would have likely only added fuel to the fire. To even her closest friends, Yuri would have seemed like her normal self, but her brother knew her far too well. Yuma thought of ways to rid her of that nagging feeling – a feeling which he himself knew far too well – to no avail.

* * *

Natsuki nearly threw her bag on the floor the minute she walked inside her home, her self-control only kicking in once she remembered the bag's contents. It was a good idea to take the back door's key with her that time, seeing as Nathan was still out of the house. However, it was certainly not a good idea to lash out the way she did.

' _There I go, pulling my usual shit again. Well done, Natsuki. Friend of the year.'_

She sank to the floor, resting her back against one of the kitchen cupboards, and took a deep breath. Of all the things she could consider as a possible cause of her foul mood, Natsuki couldn't isolate anything. It was as if it was a large number of small frustrations which built up to form one huge train wreck inside her head. Her eyes darted around the room before focusing on the cabinet where she hid the cupcakes.

"Pay it forward, huh?"

She stood up and moved to the drawers, where she pulled out a paper bag. Soon, she found herself walking on the cracked pavement for the second time that day, except it was warmer this time around. The road was also relatively empty aside from the cars parked on the sides. She reached the man's store and saw that he wasn't behind the counter, so she left the bag right next to the register. Natsuki watched as he slowly packed bottles of soda into the fridge on the other side of the store. As soon as he turned around, she slipped out of the store, not waiting for any reaction, and merely hoping that he would appreciate the two cupcakes she had left for him.

' _One remotely good deed to make up for being an asshole for a moment. Fair trade, I guess.'_

* * *

Yuma walked into the living room after fetching a package from his car. Seeing as the food was almost ready, Yuri sat and idly watched TV.

"Hey, Yuri," he said.  
"Hmm?" she replied, her eyes fixated on the television.  
"My _fiancé_ introduced me to something that might be a bit weird at first, but it's actually quite soothing, to say the least."

Yuri was intrigued by those words. The transparent box filled with pale multi-coloured candles only served to boost her curiosity.

"Ever tried aromatherapy?"  
"Can't say I have."  
"Seeing as you love atmosphere, I think you'll love it."

Yuma set the box down on the coffee table.

"Which one catches your eye?"

She reached for the lavender scented candle without much hesitation.

"Then that one it is."

He took out a box of matches.

"If nothing else," he said, lighting the candle, "it'll at least leave the living room smelling nice."

Yuri instinctively sniffed the tips of her fingers where she touched the candle. When Yuma noticed how she closed her eyes and sighed deeply, he couldn't help but feel a small sense of satisfaction. The headlights subtly streaming through the nearby window prompted him to head to the door, a smile plastered on his face as he readied himself to share the big news with his parents.

* * *

Feeling slightly less dissatisfied with herself, the pink-haired girl re-entered her home and opted to spend her time finishing up homework from various subjects. The sun was beginning to set by the time she was done, and her father had still not returned. Not that she really cared in the first place. Natsuki stretched and got off of her bed, packing her pens away before moving to the kitchen to get a glass of water. She downed a fairly large glass within a few moments. In the corner of her eye, she noticed something distinctly blue as she put the glass in the sink. Simon was perched on the windowsill, staring at her. The instant she laid eyes on the cat, he jumped off and scurried away. The pink-haired girl shook her head.

' _Cats are weird.'_

Natsuki dawdled back to her room. She sat on her bed and reached for the new issue of Parfait Girls on her desk. She could only read three pages before she started feeling drowsy, so she packed it back in the backpack before carefully sliding it under the bed. The timing was perfect, too, for she had heard the sound of a car pulling into the driveway.

Natsuki decided to sleep early that night.

* * *

 _A/N: Sorry for the delay! I wrote my final high school exams in November so this wasn't exactly a priority. Hope you enjoyed this one! This time I'm not lying when I say future chapters won't be this long! Along with that, future chapters will also focus more on the main members of the literature club. I have some free time this month that I'll dedicate to this story so I can actually stick to my posting schedule. Have a good one!_


	4. Chapter 4

Monika sat on the edge of her bed, staring at the outlines of her hands in the dim light of the early morning sun. While she thought of everything that was to be done in the day, she traced her fingers along the lines of her palms.

' _This week_ _ **will**_ _be better.'_

She remembered how her behavior in the previous week was subtly uncharacteristic of how she usually acted. She was slightly more irritable, a little less patient and generally more absentminded than she thought was healthy for her reputation. Could anyone blame her? After all, something was slowly eating away at her – something she couldn't explain – and it was costing her valuable hours of sleep. Regardless, she made the decision to try a little bit harder this week to make up for it. Monika remembered why she woke up earlier than usual: Natsuki had asked her to unlock the clubroom so she could leave the cupcakes in there for the day. She closed her emerald eyes, taking a deep breath before standing up to prepare for the day. She smiled, for she had hope it would be a better day than most.

* * *

Yuri felt anxious as she brushed her hair. This was nothing out of the ordinary for her at this point, though she rarely had to think of a possible cause for longer than 2 minutes. Perhaps it was because she cut again – it made sense that the temptation would creep up on her more easily a few days after she gave in. Yet, her sleeves did not scratch at her wrists as they usually did when this was the case.

She paused for a moment, counting to 10, breathing slowly. Despite this, her anxiety was not calmed, which only served to induce more panic in the purple-haired girl. That is, until the half-used lavender scented candle on her dresser caught her attention. She snatched the box of matches next to it and hastily lit the candle. A minute later, Yuri felt the ice in her veins melting with each breath she took. She stared into her own purple eyes and smiled. That smile soon turned to a frown once she saw how timid it was.

' _Confidence is key!'_

Yuri beamed at herself and immediately covered her mouth.

' _Too much.'_

She tried again, this time only flashing a few teeth, and she decided she liked that smile the most, which then caused her to sigh in content. Another detailed look at herself sparked subdued laughter.

' _I think I might just be insane.'_

Her gaze shifted from her eyes to her messy hair. As she continued with the task at hand, Yuri knew the chances of her having a bad day were slim.

* * *

Natsuki took a chance taking the spare key with her. Her father always left early on Mondays, but his arrival times later in the day weren't as consistent, though he was less likely to arrive sooner rather than later. Why the spare key had to stay on the premises, she had no clue. Then again, her father was not one to make choices for logical reasons. She locked the door, adjusted her school bag and carefully picked up the tray of cupcakes. If nothing else, her day would be more interesting than usual.

Something caught her eye as she walked down the street: a small figure in the bushes on the other side of the road. She frowned, trying to decipher who or what it was, until she noticed something move through the leaves close to the ground.

'Meow.'

There he was – Simon the Siamese cat.

"I don't have any treats for you today," she said.

He tilted his head. Natsuki looked up and down the road before speaking again.

"Really, I don't. But I can show you something pretty cool."

She lifted the cloth on the tray to reveal the cupcakes, each one decorated to his likeness. The cat meowed again and sat on the pavement, watching her.

"Cats are weird," she said, covering the cupcakes once more.

Simon didn't react.

"I'll see you later, okay?"

Once again, no response.

"One day, I'll-"

She was cut off by a car passing by between her and the cat. The pink-haired girl barely saw Simon's tail as he scurried away into the bushes once again. When she realised what she was doing, she paused.

' _Maybe I'm the weird one.'_

Natsuki carried on walking to her destination with one small change – she felt a bit more optimistic than usual; more than she'd like to admit.

* * *

Hikari stood leaning on the picket fence directly outside his childhood friend's house. There was no escaping her company if he promised to check out clubs, so why fight it? A quick glance at his phone revealed he would be late for class if Sayori didn't show up soon.

' _That dummy, always oversleeping.'_

He wondered how she even made it to senior year. Maybe her important classes only came later in the day or, perhaps, she stays up all night studying, which is why she always oversleeps.

' _Okay, maybe not that last one. This is_ _ **Sayori**_ _, after all.'_

The reason behind her tardiness had always eluded Hikari. As a matter of fact, the only reason he's questioning it again is because of the amount of time since he last stood in this particular place in wait. Otherwise, he'd just keep himself busy while waiting for her, maybe even take his time preparing for school. That was, until, she seemingly stopped even trying to be on time. There was one time he waited until the first class of the day had already started, and decided Sayori was likely taking the day off. Later that day, he saw her at school happily chatting away with some of her other friends. He remembered texting her in the middle of math class, only to find out she had skipped the first class because of an 'emergency'.

Everything seemed normal at first, until he noticed she would hardly ever attend the first class. For a month, he waited outside of her house every morning until he would have to speed-walk to make it on time to his classes. It was a rarity to see her in the classes they shared if it was in first period. Every attempt to get Sayori to explain why she was always late ended up being subverted. Eventually, they stopped talking. It was only when Hikari remembered the previous Saturday that he realised his thoughts were carrying him away. It had been 7 minutes since he last checked the time – he was on the verge of being late.

"Here we go again," he muttered to himself.

He made his way down the street, but a voice stopped him as he reached the corner.

"Hikariiii! Waaaiit!"

He turned to see Sayori running in his direction, flailing her arms in an additional, completely unnecessary effort to get his attention. As a matter of fact, it mostly served to attract the attention of the other people walking down the road. The self-conscious part of HIkari's mind wanted him to sprint far away from her to avoid public embarrassment. Thankfully, the part of his mind which missed his friend prevailed at that moment, and he opted to chuckle when she caught up.

"I thought you weren't coming."  
"Today…is a…special…day…can't…be…late," she said.  
"Geez Sayori, how can you be so out of breath from running down the street?"  
"Hey! You know…how…heavy… this bag is,"

She touched the tips of her index fingers together and laughed.

"Not to mention how…I don't really exercise."  
"Well, we'd better get going. You can actually be on time for once!"

Sayori playfully stuck her tongue out at him, an action which entirely contradicted the guilt she felt welling up as a result of his playful banter. Nevertheless, she had to think happy thoughts. She wasn't going to let something so trivial get her down on such a day. Upon remembering her goal for the day, she asked a question.

"Hey, what's your last class today?"

* * *

A smiling Monika made her way up the stairs, keys in hand, in her usual quick manner – swiftly, and two steps at a time. She was pleasantly surprised to see Natsuki walking down the other end of the hall as she made it to the top.

"Looks like our timing couldn't be better!" said Monika, unlocking the door.  
"It'd better be! You know I don't like wasting time waiting for people."

A quick glance at Natsuki revealed something out of the ordinary. Such remarks were nothing new, but there was something else the club president noticed – a ghost of a smile on the small girl's face.

"Someone's in a good mood."

The pink-haired girl was taken aback.

"I don't see how telling you about my impatience can give anyone the impression of a good mood."  
"Not that! Your facial expression gives it away."  
"Oh…"

The very thought that other people may have seen this, perhaps even sharing Monika's sentiment, was something which made Natsuki fidget.

"Don't worry, Natsuki, it's hard to notice unless you look for it."

The short girl frowned.

"I may not be the best with people, but I've gotten pretty good at noticing these small things. Reading body language was somewhat of a necessity when it came to doing well in the debate club. Not to mention that I know you better than most of the people in this school."

Natsuki relaxed her shoulders.

"I guess you have a point. So can I put this down now or what?" she said, subtly lifting the tray.  
"Oh, sorry," replied Monika, "looks like I got carried away again."

She opened the door and let her friend in. Natsuki headed to the closet and carefully placed the tray on an empty shelf.

"May I have a look?" asked Monika from over her shoulder.  
"No."  
"Why not?"  
"Because you're invading my personal space."

Monika moved back.

"What about now?" she asked.  
"Still no."  
"Come on…"

Monika got her hand smacked away when she tried to reach for the tray. Natsuki slowly waved her arms in front of her face, wriggling her fingers as if she was creating a rainbow.

" _It's a surprise._ " she whispered.

The pink-haired girl snatched the keys from her friend's hand.

"Seriously?" exclaimed Monika.  
"You're acting a bit too much like Sayori right now. I can't leave these cupcakes in your care."

Monika pouted. Natsuki raised an eyebrow.

"You know you're not helping your case, right?"  
"It was worth a shot." replied Monika.

The pink-haired girl laughed while shooing the club president out of the room.

"Come on, we're going to be late."

She locked the door and glanced at Monika.

"You're a bit more talkative than usual, almost on Sayori's level."

The emerald-eyed girl wondered if it was a good idea to open up about her active choice to act in that way. Perhaps the others didn't even notice her behaviour was slightly different, with the exception of Sayori, of course. Somehow, this line of thought led Monika to question whether her good mood was even real. Was it just a lie she was telling herself in hopes that she would be more pleasant to be around? Was she merely feigning being a better person? She thought back to times where she had legitimately been in a good mood, and each instance had something in common – a fuzzy feeling filling the void in the pit of her stomach. Where was that feeling? Why was the void growing larger?

Natsuki's voice ripped her attention from her thoughts.

"I'm not saying it's a bad thing," she said, "I mean, who doesn't love Sayori?"  
"You're right," she replied, "she can be friends with anyone she chooses, so why not learn from the best?"

Before the conversation could continue, the bell prompted the girls to head off to first period. Natsuki allowed the key to dangle from her fingertips in an effort to tease the club president.

"I'll see you this afternoon!" she said, running down the stairs.

Monika had forgotten about the cupcakes at that point. With her smile faded, she willed the day to come to an end as she trudged down the stairs.

' _So much for being better…'_

Soon, she reached her first class for the day – physics – and sat in her usual spot. She rested her chin on the palm of her hand while she waited for her classmates to settle down.

' _I bet they won't be so loud when they see their test scores.'_

Something caught her attention in the middle of all the noise. She sat up straight and focused her hearing on to it – a gentle, soothing tune coming from her right. It was none other than Yuri, humming happily in the class, completely unaware that someone may be listening. As much as she enjoyed the melody, the other noise was dying down fast, so she tapped her friend on the shoulder to save her from potential embarrassment.

"Hmm..?" Yuri glanced at her curiously.  
"You were humming."  
"Oh my," she chuckled, "I didn't even notice."

' _Yuri too?'_

Monika wondered if there was something in the air.

' _It can't be, that's just ridiculous.'_

Regardless, some hidden force tugged at the corners of her mouth at the thought of Yuri, shy as she was, humming in class. Maybe it _was_ something in the air. This time, she didn't question the feeling any further.

* * *

"Any luck with our new member?"

Natsuki soon realised that the timing of her question could not have come at a worse time, for Sayori absentmindedly spat a small lump of chicken which landed on to the shorter girl's sleeve when trying to reply.

"EW!"

She withdrew her arm and shook it frantically beneath the lunch table as she grabbed a tissue from her pocket. Yuri laughed sheepishly while Monika nearly choked on her juice.

"I'm sho shorry!"  
"How many times must I tell you not to talk with your mouth full?!"

She snatched Sayori's water bottle and poured some water on the corner of the tissue before dabbing the spot where she was hit.

"To be fair," said Yuri, "you were the one who asked her a question while she was eating."

The club president did not even attempt to subdue her laughter at that point – which earned her an elbow in the side. She glanced at the girl fuming next to her. She could've sworn she heard a low growl coming from Natsuki, which just made her want to laugh even more.

"Now if you don't mind," said Natsuki, "I'd appreciate it if you could answer my question **without** spitting on me."

Sayori swallowed the last bits of her food before speaking again.

"It's official, there'll be five of us by the end of the day!"  
"Really?" asked Yuri.  
"Mmhmm~!"

Natsuki spoke again.

"Can you at least tell us who it is?"  
"Nope."

Sayori grinned devilishly.

"Please?"

The girl in question shook her head.

"Pretty please?"  
"And that's a no!"

Natsuki folded her arms.

"Someone's not getting any cupcakes then."  
"No fair!"  
"Natsuki," said Yuri, "we'll find out at the end of the day."  
"Yuri's right!" exclaimed Sayori. "Hey, why is it such a big deal anyway?"

Natsuki's fingers clawed into her blazer sleeve. Yuri noticed this and – knowing a little bit about her friend's fear – opted to dispose of the tension in the air.

"I think it's just that we're all curious because it's always been the four of us. I'm also slightly nervous about how it'll affect the dynamics of our group."

The pink-haired girl momentarily looked up at her with a grateful gaze. Sayori's eyes lit up.

"I see~…"  
"In any case," said Monika, "we should focus on our classes. We'll see how it goes when the time comes."

The other girls nodded in agreement. The rest of their lunch break was filled with idle chatter as they finished their food. When the bell rang, Sayori waited for Monika to pack her things away while the other two walked on ahead.

"Hey Yuri," said Natsuki, hesitant, "I'm sorry about yesterday…it's just…"

She sighed.

"Don't worry," replied the taller girl, "you don't have to explain yourself. I accept your apology."

Yuri offered a smile.

"Thanks," said Natsuki.

She flashed her teeth, which sparked laughter from both girls as they walked to their next classes.

* * *

Sayori watched the seconds slowly tick away while her history teacher droned on about something she didn't care to remember.

' _Liar.'_

Why had she proclaimed to her friends that Hikari was joining them? Perhaps it was because she thought it was the easiest thing to say to elicit a positive response. Judging from the discomfort she sensed earlier, it was clear her logic was flawed. What if he didn't want to join? Even if she didn't want him to retreat to his room by himself every afternoon, she couldn't force him to do anything he didn't want to do. She rested her head on her arms. Sayori was glad to be notorious for sleeping in classes – people didn't bother questioning her about it anymore.

' _What do I do?'_

She deliberated her options. For one, she had already persuaded him to check out clubs, so it would be easy to get him roped into seeing the literature club. Could the cupcakes be enough to get him to join? Probably not – there was no way Natsuki could bake cupcakes every day, much less to get a complete stranger to stay in the club. Maybe he'd find a liking in one of the other girls and decide he wanted to stay.

' _That's no good.'_

The coral-haired girl silently berated herself for even thinking in such a way. She was attracted to him, so why just let him slip through her fingers? What if the others found no interest in him? He wasn't exactly all that special. All her efforts would be for naught, and she'd end up in a lower position than the one in which she found herself beforehand. The others would all see her for what she was – a liar. Then again, it wasn't like they were unused to the idea of her disappointing them. She'd done it multiple times before. To her, it seemed like she could never learn from her mistakes. Who would want someone like that in their life? She wondered how the others still put up with her. Maybe the best case scenario would be for Hikari to join the club and take her place.

' _Then everyone will be happy.'_

She peered at the clock: about three minutes left. The first minute was spent gathering the strength to move, the second was spent lifting her head from her arms, and she used the third minute to slowly pack away the little stationery she bothered taking out at the start of the period. She disappeared immediately after the bell rang and made her way to Hikari's English class. Watching as people quickly flowed out of the classroom, she searched for the bored facial expression her friend was likely to have. Yet, she didn't see it even after the teacher had left, so she decided to peek inside. Sayori couldn't say she was surprised to find him sitting there by himself, completely zoned out while loosely holding his bag on his desk.

"Hellloooo~"

Hikari blinked.

"Oh, hey Sayori. What're you doing here?"  
"Don't play dumb! You know exactly why I'm here."

He paused for a moment and snapped his fingers.

"Ah, clubs."

He furrowed his eyebrows.

"Still doesn't explain why you're here, though."

Sayori looked at him innocently and kept her hands behind her back.

"I don't mind helping you look for a club."  
"Even if you're going to be late to your own club, Miss Vice President?"  
"They won't mind."

She sounded awfully cute, to the point of it being unnatural.

"It's either they won't mind, or you're planning on dragging me along to the literature club."  
"Ehehe~"  
"I knew it!"  
"But you promised!"  
"I promised I'd **check out clubs**. Not join the literature club."

Each of her hands had a death grip on the other. Disappointment welled up in her core, manifesting itself as tears forming in her eyes. Sayori pouted slightly and locked her focus on his hazel eyes.

"Please? You wanted to know what we do there."

Hikari felt his heart clenching. He knew she was just manipulating him to go there. Sayori might have seemed like an air-head, but there was not a doubt in his mind she was fully conscious of what she was doing. He couldn't just let her cry. At the same time, he wanted to make sure her fake tears were worth the sacrifice.

"And what's in it for me?"  
"Natsuki made cupcakes."

And just like that, Sayori had won again.

"Fine, I'll check out your club. But no promises!"  
"Yay~! Let's go!"

He could barely maintain the grip on his bag with Sayori dragging him by his wrist, skipping her way upstairs to the clubroom.

' _There's no way she didn't plan this.'_

Still, he would only get the cupcake and slowly fade out to the anime club. He spoke again when she stopped by a classroom door.

' _This must be the place.'_

"Don't go in calling me a new member."

She giggled as she opened the door.

"Hey everyone! The new member is here~!"  
"What did I just say-"

Hikari was stunned. To his left sat Monika – easily the most popular girl in school – happily waving at him. To his right were two girls, one of which he didn't recognise.

"Hi," said Yuri, "it's a pleasure to meet you."  
"So you _did_ bring a boy," said Natsuki. "Way to kill the atmosphere…"

Monika cleared her throat.

"Hikari! It's great to see you here!"  
"Y-you too, Monika."

There was an awkward silence. His gaze shifted to the girl with an unfamiliar face.

"What are you looking at?" said Natsuki. "If you have something to say, then just say it."  
"Sorry…"

Monika spoke up.

"Hikari, this is Natsuki. You may or may not get elbowed by her depending on how you act."

The pink-haired girl glared at the club president.

"And this is Yuri. Beneath her quiet exterior, you'll find a very passionate person, and a beautiful mind to boot."

Monika had to contain a chuckle when she saw her friend's red face.

"It's a pleasure to meet you both."

Yuri nodded enthusiastically. Natsuki rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, whatever."

Hikari didn't feel very welcome in the club at that point. There was no denying the members were very easy on the eyes, but the situation was a bit too awkward for him. Not to mention that Natsuki seemed to be disgusted by his presence.

"I was told you guys have cupcakes."  
"Hell yeah we do!"

Natsuki's frown instantly changed to a beaming smile when she went to retrieve the tray from the closet.

"You can just ignore her if she gets moody," whispered Sayori.  
"Noted…"

He was more than ready to get the hell outta there.

"I'll prepare some tea," said Yuri.

Before he had time to ponder why the girls were allowed to keep a whole tea set in the classroom, Hikari was planted at a desk. The hot-headed girl practically slammed the tray down in front of him and lifted the cloth.

"Ta-da!"

The other members took a moment to admire Natsuki's handiwork. As usual, the detail on each of the decorations was meticulously added, showcasing a level of quality rarely found outside of professional bakeries.

"Wow. You made these?" asked Hikari.  
"Of course. What, you thought I couldn't bake?"  
"Uh, it's not that, I just didn't know what to expect."

Hikari was like an ice sculpture melting in the fiery sunbeam that was Natsuki's line of sight. He gulped as silently as the tense atmosphere allowed him.

"So are you gonna have one or what?"  
"Oh uh, yeah…of course," he said, laughing sheepishly.

He took the one closest to him with shaky hands and slowly took a bite. He froze in place. Only his jaw moved to chew and savour the myriad of sweet flavours bursting in his mouth. The pink-haired girl eyed him curiously, impatiently drumming her fingers on her folded arms.

"And?"  
"This tastes wonderful!"

Natsuki felt hidden tension drain from her shoulders.

"Damn straight!" she exclaimed, smiling proudly.

Hikari hadn't even noticed Yuri pouring the tea right in front of him.

"Oh, thanks."

Sayori and Yuri were the next to dig in to the delectable creations while Monika opted to explain club activities to him.

"So, welcome to the literature club, Hikari! We don't always have cupcakes on hand, so we hope that's not the only thing making you stay."

' _She saw right through me.'_

"Of course," she continued, "since it's a part of our namesake, literature is obviously important here. Say, how often do you read?"

A sense of discomfort returned to the boy in question.

"If I'm honest, not very often. I do read a fair amount of manga, I guess."

He nearly missed the pink-haired girl's curious gaze.

"Oh, I see," said Monika, "well, you're going to start reading a lot more as a member of this club."  
"Actually-"

Sayori interrupted him.

"You can talk to any one of us if you want recommendations. Natsuki can help you out if you want to read different varieties of manga, or you can talk to Yuri if you want vigorous texts!"  
"Rigorous," corrected Yuri.  
"Yeah, that."  
"Um, I-"  
"Though," said Monika, "I'd suggest you start off with something light if you're not in the habit of reading just yet."  
"Hold on just a minute!"

The girls' shaken expressions revealed that he may have spoken a bit louder than he was intending to. Nevertheless, he would say what he wanted to say.

"I don't know what Sayori told you, but I never actually said I'd be a member of this club."

Their expressions were crestfallen.

' _Oh no. Could Sayori have planned this as well?'_

"Alright then," said Natsuki, dejected.  
"Oh," said Monika, sullen.  
"That's a shame," said Yuri, her gaze fixed on the floor.

The blue-eyed girl could only stare at him with sorrowful eyes. Hikari kept himself from covering his face with his hands.

' _It was a trap from the beginning.'_

"Okay, I've decided."

Their curious gazes sealed the deal.

"I'll join the literature club."

Sayori nearly squealed.

"Yay~! Thankyouthankyouthankyou!"  
"Hey! Calm down, would ya?"

The other three laughed at their friend's excitement, for they were elated to see they finally had a new member.

"Okay, everyone!" exclaimed Monika, "I think we should use this next hour to let our new member settle in and start getting used to how we do things around here. Hikari, do you have any questions for us?"

Hikari sipped his tea and said the first thing that popped into his mind.

"Monika, weren't you the president of the debate club last year? Why start a new club?"

She was taken aback.

"Sorry if it wasn't appropriate-"  
"No, it's okay. You just caught me off guard, that's all. Let's see…"

The club president sat opposite the new member and sipped on her own teacup as she gathered her thoughts.

"It was getting boring there. Excuse me if this sounds a bit arrogant, but I reached my potential in that club. Plus, talking about politics for so many hours in a week turned out to be more draining than anything else, so I figured, 'why not try something new?'"

She smiled.

"And here we are. You'd be surprised how difficult it is to get a new club up and running, no matter how small."  
"Wow," said Hikari, "that's…really something."  
"You can tell me if I'm boring you."  
"Not at all! It's just…I find it pretty cool. I couldn't imagine starting my own club."  
"Thanks, Hikari."

Sayori chimed in.

"Trust me, you have no idea how much of a nightmare it was just to get enough members to establish this club. It's a good thing Monika doesn't back down from a challenge!"

Hikari's leaned forward, curiously gazing into emerald eyes.

"It's a really long story," said Monika, "one that could likely take up an entire chapter in a novel, so how's about we save it for another day?"  
"I don't mind telling it," said Sayori.  
"Monika has a point there. Maybe I should get to know the other members a bit better?"

They hadn't even realised Yuri and Natsuki had retreated to their usual spots in the clubroom.

"Well, I didn't really have club activities planned for today, so go ahead!"

Hikari drank the last bit of his tea and stood. Perhaps thanking Yuri for the tea was a good approach. She noticed him walking towards her and promptly placed her book face-down on the desk.

"Hey, Yuri. Thanks for the tea, I really enjoyed it."  
"You're welcome," she said.

' _Now what?'_

"So," he said, "what're you reading?"

She picked up the book.

"I'm actually re-reading this book, Portrait of Markov, a horror novel."  
"Oh, I wasn't expecting you to read horror."

Yuri glanced off to the side.

"People tend to be surprised by that, I've noticed."

' _Very original, Hikari.'_

"However," she continued, "it's not the genre itself that interests me, it's more the writing style. You see, horror movies and games tend to rely on cheap jumpscares, while novels require a far more intellectual approach to be effective. The writer needs to know how to use psychological elements to enter the reader's mind, using their own lack of imagination to throw them for a loop. This novel," she tapped her fingers on the cover, "is a prime example of how horror is written, so much so that this is actually my third time reading it."

The colour of her face started to match Natsuki's hair when she noticed the boy's blank stare.

"Sorry if I bored you! I have a tendency to get carried away sometimes," she said, using her free hand to play with her hair.  
"No! Trust me, you weren't boring at all. I just wasn't expecting such a detailed answer. You ask most people about something and all they have to say is a single sentence that doesn't really say much in the first place."

He scratched his head.

"I'm not exactly an exception to this rule."  
"It's okay. Thanks, Hikari. It's just…I rarely have the opportunity to speak to people about the things I enjoy, so I tend to talk a bit too much when it does happen."  
"Don't worry about it! I admire your passion."  
"Thank you..."

 _'Whew. I'd better_ _watch my words around her.'_

She tapped her fingers on the book once more.

"There isn't perhaps a chance you'd like to read this, is there?"  
"Oh, uh I don't read all that much so it might take me a while to finish it."  
"It's not a problem. I have more than one copy, so you can borrow this one for as long as you'd like."  
"In that case," he said, "I don't see why not."

He only realised how thick the novel really was when he held it in his hands. Noticing the smile on the tall girl's face, he couldn't bear to imagine her reaction if he had to give it back to her.

' _I just keep digging myself deeper and deeper into this hole, don't I?"_

"Let me know when you've finished the first chapter. I'd love to discuss it with you, if you don't mind."  
"Of course! I'll go put this in my bag. Thanks, Yuri!"

He sighed when he reached the other end of the room. Placing the book in his bag, he sat down to think for a few moments.

' _Can't I just be home already?'_

A quick glance at the clock revealed that the club session was only ending in just over half an hour. Hikari decided to speak to the one remaining member. She sat on the closet floor, continuously scribbling and erasing something on a piece of paper. Unlike Yuri, Natsuki hadn't seen Hikari approach her.

"The Meaning of Friendship? What's-"

The pink-haired girl scrambled to cover her work.

"That's none of your business!"  
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you, Natsuki."  
"Hmph."

She stood, clutching the paper as tightly as she could without damaging it.

"What's going on here?"

The two of them turned to see Sayori.

"I kinda disturbed her while she was writing a p-"  
"Shut up!"  
"A poem~?" asked Sayori.

Natsuki glowered at him when she saw the other two members had also decided to investigate the commotion.

"What's so bad about writing a poem?" he asked.  
"The fact that this is one I don't intend to share."  
"Aww," said Sayori, "I would've loved to read your poetry."  
"Well," said Yuri, "I concur with Natsuki's sentiments. Poetry is often written to oneself, making it the truest form of writing, in my opinion. Expressing your deepest vulnerabilities through words – intentional or not – is not something that is easily shared."

Monika was intrigued by this statement.

"I have an idea!"

She spoke again when she saw she had everyone's attention.

"Why don't we all go write some poetry of our own to bring to the club? Nothing too deep, of course, something you'd be willing to share."

Sayori's cheering was the main factor in Hikari's decision to agree, albeit reluctantly. The other members' gazes were fixed to the walls.

"I don't know about this," said Natsuki.

The two of them eyed the new member before the vice president chimed in.

"It'll be fun~!" exclaimed Sayori.  
"And it'll be at least a little challenging, too," said Monika. "We can try this for a couple of days, and if you guys don't like it, we try something else."

The only sound in the room was the ticking of the clock hands. This was the only reason Hikari realised seven seconds had passed.

"Fine." said Natsuki.  
"Okay," said Yuri, "I'll try."  
"Great! For the rest of the session, you can all just carry on with what you were doing."

With that, the other three members dispersed from the closet, leaving Natsuki and Hikari alone once more.

"Excuse me," said Natsuki.

She moved over to her bag to put her poem away.

' _Wow, she actually has manners.'_

He felt an elbow in his side.

"Did I say that out loud?"  
"What?" she asked.  
"N-nothing. Why'd you jab me?"  
"For roping us into writing poetry."  
"You could've said no."  
"Yeah, but where's the fun in that?"

Hikari was befuddled, to say the least.

"Hey," she said, "is it true that you read manga?"  
"Uh, yeah, though I watch anime more often."

The new member spent the rest of the time answering questions related to his manga tastes and reluctantly reading the first volume of Parfait Girls with the hot-headed girl. When it was time to leave, his relief outweighed any enjoyment he felt from this first session – even if only by a small amount.

"Hey Hikari," began Sayori, "wanna walk home together?"  
"Sure. We're headed in the same direction anyway."  
"Yay~!"

He could only smile in response. Sayori happily greeted everyone while Hikari opted to wave politely as the two of them left the room.

"So," said Monika, "What do you guys think of our new member?"  
"To be perfectly honest," said Yuri, "I'm not sure if he's going to stay a member for long. He's trying to show interest, but it doesn't really seem like he wants to be here."  
"Aside from being kinda cute," said Natsuki, "I don't really see why Sayori could have a crush on this guy. All I've gotten from him so far is that he's…nice, I guess."

The club president paused for a moment.

"As I said earlier, we'll see how it goes. It's his first day, after all."

The other two members gave a short nod before Natsuki broke out giggling.

"When you said he was the generic protagonist type, I didn't think he'd also **look** like one."

Monika merely tittered with her. On the other hand, despite her best efforts, Yuri simply couldn't contain her laughter.

* * *

"What do you think of the club so far?" asked Sayori.  
"Are you really asking me that question after basically forcing me to join?"  
"I'm sorry! I already promised them that I'd bring a new member and-"  
"Don't make promises you can't keep!"

Blue eyes focused squarely on the road ahead of them.

"You don't have to stay in the club if you don't want to. I'm sure the others will understand."  
"Luckily for you, I'm actually willing to give this a shot."  
"Ooh~! Has Hikari found someone he fancies~?"

The boy in question stopped in his tracks, and his face rapidly heated up.

"W-what? Why would you think **that's** the reason?"  
"Because I know you're not all too interested in reading."  
"So you **did** plan this from the start!"

Sayori merely chuckled at this as they carried on walking.

"I swear, you only act like a dummy. You're way smarter than you let on."

It was her turn to stop.

"Is that so?" she asked, frowning.

' _I'm not smart, I'm just a good actress.'_

Hikari didn't notice she hadn't paid attention to his response.

"So, who is it? Could you be interested in the bashful, but beautiful Yuri, or the loud-mouthed and kind-hearted Natsuki?"  
"Kind-hearted? That's a joke if I've ever heard one."  
"You'll see it for yourself soon enough once you get to know her."  
"No offense to her, but I think I'll pass."  
"Ah, so you're actually interested in Monika. I can't say I'm surprised."

He caught a hold of her sleeve and pulled her back.

"This is kind of weird, Sayori. It's as if you only wanted me to join the club so I could date one of your friends. What's going on?"

She nervously pressed her index fingers together and stared off to the side.

"Nothing, really. I may have gotten carried away with teasing you. I'll stop now."

He eyed her for a moment before letting go of her sleeve so they could continue walking. The conversation from that point onward was uncomfortable, in spite of Sayori's best efforts. Thankfully, the rest of the journey didn't last very long, and they soon waved to each other in parting.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Hikari~!"  
"See ya."

Hikari stared in Sayori's direction after she rushed into her home. When he realised he must have spaced out for a good minute, he made his way into his parents' house.

* * *

Natsuki turned the last corner to reach her father's house. The car in the driveway caused the disappearance of the ghost of the smile she possessed. She waited at the gate for a moment and willed her strength to stay. She took a deep breath, held her head high, and entered her home. Nathan was making himself a sandwich in the kitchen.

"Hi papa,"  
"Hey. You want one?"

Natsuki's voice was caught in her throat.

"Y-yeah, sure. Thanks papa."  
"Alright then. I bought some of that juice concentrate stuff, how's about you make some for us?"  
"Of course, papa."

She considered asking her father what caused him to be in such a good mood, but decided against it to avoid the risk of spoiling it. She poured water into a jug and remembered that these days, days which were once the status quo, were now few and far between. What used to be a collection of elating moments of her and her father working together – whether it was cooking, cleaning, help with her homework or just plain lazing around – was now filled with an uncomfortable silence on her end. Her movements were unnatural and overly calculated, for her fear of spilling something and disappointing her father was borderline debilitating.

So there they were, father and daughter preparing a simple meal for the two of them. Natsuki reveled in the nostalgia for as long as she could. The fact that her father likely didn't pay any mind to this moment was nearly enough for her temporary joy to deflate.

' _Where did it all go wrong?'_

"Natsuki,"

Nathan's voice shattered her thoughts.

"Yes, papa?"  
"Did you take the spare key with you, by any chance?"

There was no point in lying. He usually knew the answer to the questions he asked.

"Yes, papa."

' _What's gonna happen now? Is his decency just an act?'_

Tears welled up in her eyes.

' _Please not today. It was going so well…'_

"Oh okay. I was just making sure. I think it's a good idea to keep it on you, instead of leaving it outside."

' _What? That's it?'_

"Come to think of it," he continued, "I've noticed that I tend to lock without thinking you might not be able to get in the house. Sorry if I've made things a bit difficult for you a couple of times in the past."  
"O-oh, it's not a problem. Thanks papa."

Natsuki's shoulders were beginning to ache.

' _Where is this sudden kindness coming from?'_

He started whistling a tune to himself. For this reason, Natsuki decided to take the risk in order to sate her curiosity.

"Anything good happen at work today, papa?"

Nathan completely froze. Natsuki felt the fear in the pit of her stomach seeping through her veins.

"Actually," he said, "nothing really. Basically, I was the only person there today, aside from my manager, who doesn't do much in any case. But I guess it was nice to have some alone time at work."

The pink-haired girl's hands trembled as she stirred the mixture in the jug. She tried her hardest to control her breathing.

"You okay there?" asked Nathan.

Disappointment, more than anything else, was what brought Natsuki back down to earth, and it soon morphed into rage.

' _Is he really_ _ **that**_ _oblivious? How does this not even feel_ _ **slightly**_ _unusual? Doesn't he see I'm fucking_ _ **terrified**_ _to talk to him?'_

She suppressed her anger for a moment to respond.

"All good here, papa."

He took one last glance at her before speaking again.

"Well then, pour me a glass and let's eat!"

With that, the two of them sat and ate in front of the TV and opted to watch a trivia show. Every now and again, Natsuki would look at the man she called her father as he pointed at the screen with a half-eaten sandwich in his hand, providing his own answers to the questions. She saw the remnants of the man she used to know, the man who used to care for her so well, in the monster she knew at that moment. Still, she wouldn't overthink it. Instead, she took the opportunity to reconnect with that man, even if only for a day.

"Oh come on," she said, "who doesn't know Bambi is a deer?!"  
"Tell me about it! I swear, they always pick the wrong people to play in these shows!"

She followed his lead and acted as though this was nothing out of the ordinary, silently hoping – a hope so blatantly childish – that this wouldn't have to be a rare occurrence. Although she knew full well that she was lying to herself by clinging on to this hope, she tried. Ultimately, trying was all she could do.

* * *

The boy found himself in his usual spot behind his desk, struggling to get a single word on the page in front of him.

' _This is harder than I thought it'd be. What the hell am I gonna write about if I can't even think of a title after half an hour?'_

His thoughts drifted back to Sayori's words, then to the time she spent with him a couple of days prior. He couldn't help but find comfort in her presence, even if she makes it her mission to embarrass him as much as possible. The boy imagined himself walking to her house and throwing pebbles at her bedroom window to get her attention.

' _That's cliché…and kinda creepy. But it's given me an idea.'_

And so, Hikari wrote and erased random sequences of words for what felt like hours, a feeling justified by the fading light in his room. A drawn out sigh was barely enough to express his relief when he was finished. He had to strain his eyes slightly to see his masterpiece. Only, it didn't seem like such a masterpiece upon reading the final product, so he leaned back, dropping the sheet of paper on his desk.

"Screw this, it's time for some food and anime."

His eyes drifted to the house directly across his own, Sayori's house, and he noticed the light shining through the window near the top. A single thought passed through his mind – an undeveloped thought that was lost when his stomach begged him for sustenance.

' _I hope you get the message.'_

* * *

 _A/N: Here I am, unreliable as ever, but I'm still alive! I certainly won't be forgetting about this story, don't you worry. I've started university, so time is limited, but I'll dedicate as much time as I can to writing this story and finishing it up with a satisfactory level of quality. Feedback is appreciated and, as always, have a good one!_


End file.
